WEEKEND RACING RECAP – Saturday 18th July
Coming into the final weeks of the Australian racing season, with all premierships in the metros areas looking secured. In Brisbane the Champion rider of the season Ben Thompson certainly put his stamp on proceedings winning four of the 9 races at Doomben. On any other day he would be the clear star of the show but promising 20 year old apprentice Jac e McMurray was able to match him riding four winners on his birthday. McMurray has been riding in super form and he looks a promising prospect for the future.
Group 3 racing moved to Adelaide with the running of the Sires Produce Stakes. It turned out to be a bit of a redemption story for rider Andrew Stead, who bought up his first Group winner since having his first ride back in 2001. He has been a bit of a journeyman after overcoming a cancer battle and a three year ban for off track issues, but trainer Jon O’Connor stuck with him and he reawarded him with the ride on Neveu a chestnut son of Rich Enuff in the Group 3 race at Morphettville. After sitting up on the speed, Neveu took over soon after straightening and looked set for a clear win but you can never rule out Gai Waterhouse/Adrian Bott trained horses and their gutsy little colt Spain “came back of the canvas” and fought the race out tenaciously coming back at Neveu to go down with a bob of the head with the Henry Dwyer outsider And There You Go a couple of lengths away in third. Neveu started at the juicy odds of $17 but O’Connor has lofty ambitions with him hoping that a Caulfield Guineas maybe on the agenda.
The Flemington meeting saw some competitive and close racing, with the final race where the judge was unable to split the two horses who went to the line together and declared a dead-heat. Arguably the highlight of the meeting was the Deane Lester Flemington Cup 1849 over the staying distance of 2800m. It was a true slog from the corner and even at the 25m it was hard to decide who was going to win the race and as they went across the line there was six horses within a length of them. Ultimately the in-form Patrick Payne stable saluted with the consistent Bold Soul who finally brokethrough for a well-deserved win defeating Highland Blaze who was lining up for two in a row.
To make the race even more exciting, the rider of the third horse Harry Coffey (Tempesti) threw in a protest against the winner for interference over the final stages. The objection was late dismissed but not after some deliberation from the Stewards.
The most dominant win of the weekend was at Rosehill Gardens where Midnight Dynamite demolished a quality field to win the $200,000 Listed Winter Challenge. He has put the writing on the wall winning four of his six starts during the winter and this easily the most impression of his progressive career. Tommy Berry rode him perfectly and when he peeled off heels soon after straightening he put the race beyond doubt in a couple of strides sprinting away to win in a canter. The Bjorn Baker stable have identified the Coffs Harbour Cup as a future task and if he holds that form he will be hard to beat in anything he takes on.