It was the first time the four-year-old Soho Tribeca mare had stepped out for Tatura trainer Craig Turnbull and his reinswoman daughter Abbey.
Soho Playgirl was formerly trained by the late Lockington horseman Ted Jepsen, who passed away in July at the age of 91.
Jepsen had won seven races with the mare in 51 starts he had given her, and there were also 13 minor placings.
The Turnbulls had Soho Playgirl cherry ripe for her debut with them, and she out-sprinted her rivals with a lengthy finishing surge, beating the runner-up by nearly 15 metres.
Jepsen was a trainer, storyteller, competitor, mentor, sportsman and, above all, a man whose passion for horses never dimmed.
But long before he was known around Victorian racetracks, Ted had forged a reputation as an amateur boxer before embarking on a distinguished VFA football career that lasted until he was 41.
He mixed with some of football’s biggest names, including Norm Goss, Jack Dyer and Freddy Cook, and delighted in recounting colourful stories from an era that has become part of Australian sporting folklore.
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