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"Comeback apprentice Chloe Azzopardi was on cloud nine after celebrating the biggest day of her career in the saddle with a treble at Ascot today. Three weeks after returning from a five-year hiatus from race riding, Azzopardi booted home Dance Music, Valour Road and Settlers Creek. Weight problems forced Azzopardi, now 22, to take an extended break from racing in 2014. She has returned with a bang, having also won in her first ride back when guiding Soy Tan Rapido to victory at Ascot on March 3. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m just so overwhelmed,&rdquo; Azzopardi said. &ldquo;This is my first city treble so to come back and have that in my first few weeks is outstanding. It&rsquo;s unreal.&rdquo; Valour Road&rsquo;s impressive first-up win in the Vale Barry Curtis Handicap (1000m) was the highlight of Azzopardi&rsquo;s treble. Her poise when the hot $2 favourite started slowly proved crucial, with Valour Road running on from third to score by 1 &frac12; lengths. &ldquo;I wasn&rsquo;t too stressed,&rdquo; Azzopardi said. &ldquo;I had plan B and plan C because I knew there was speed in the race and I knew once I got into the straight and into the clear, he was ready to go.&rdquo; Trainer Simon Miller said Valour Road, the winner of last year&rsquo;s Group 2 Karrakatta Plate (1200m), would head to Adelaide for upcoming feature races. &ldquo;He&rsquo;ll go across to Adelaide now to run in the Euclase en route to The Goodwood, all going well,&rdquo; Miller said. &ldquo;There was no surprise when he went to the trials and did what he did because he&rsquo;s elevated himself that much behind the scenes. &ldquo;I tested him at 1000&hellip;I think he&rsquo;s better at six furlongs but gee, he gunned them down.&rdquo; Miller will consider adding Dance Music to his Adelaide carnival squad after she won the Chandler McLeod Handicap (1100m) first-up. Azzopardi capped her treble with a knockout blow on Settlers Creek, who won the Seacorp Handicap (1400m) at $26. Miller had a treble of his own with Double Bubble also saluting. Apprentice Jade McNaught scored a double on Majinika and Double Bubble. Meanwhile, consistent stayer Cappo D&rsquo;Oro made light work of his 60kg impost to record a strong win in the $100,000 WA Cup (3200m). Ridden by cups king Peter Hall, Cappo D&rsquo;Oro ($6.50) charged home from fourth on the turn to beat the $2.25 favourite, Come Play With Me, by 2 &frac14; lengths. &ldquo;It shouldn&rsquo;t be underestimated the degree of difficulty with 60kg plus over the two-mile,&rdquo; trainer Fred Kersley said. &ldquo;Excellent effort. One of the reasons Pete got the ride was I think there&rsquo;s no one better at settling horses and winning cups and it was a marvellous ride.&rdquo;"
<https://thewest.com.au/sport/horse-racing/comeback-apprentice-chloe-azzopardi-celebrates-treble-at-ascot-ng-b881174705z>