Pocket rocket returns to form
TASMANIA’S pocket rocket, The Inevitable, proved beyond doubt he has found the form that took him to great heights as a three and fouryear-old when he blitzed his rivals in the $125,000 weightfor-age Conquering Stakes over 1400m in Launceston on Thursday night.
It was his third win in succession this preparation, having won the Goodwood Handicap (1100m) at Elwick and the state’s most prestigious sprint the Newmarket Handicap (1200m) prior to taking care of a quality field of weight-for-age performers on Wednesday night.
Jockey David Pires had the gelding settled a bit further forward than expected but when he hit the go button at the top if the straight, the pint-sized dynamo rattled home to win comfortably.
The Inevitable looked set to be a superstar on the national stage as a four-year-old, winning a Group 3 race in Melbourne, the C S Hayes Stakes, before heading to Sydney to win the inaugural $500,000 Silver Eagle (4YO) at Randwick.
But after encountering a horrendous lead-up to the inaugural $7 million Golden Eagle a few weeks later he suffered a few setbacks that prevented him from realising his full potential. But a lengthy spell and change of training regimen have worked wonders for the gelded son of Dundeel and now the sevenyear-old is about to embark on a journey that could land him in the richest 1600m event in Australia.
“That was a great win because he has defied the leader-bias track and come from well back to do exactly what he did to win the Goodwood and the Newmarket,” Brunton said.
“He is back to his best, so we will progress towards the AllStar Mile that looks an achievable goal at this stage of his prep.”
Champion Tasmanian mare Mystic Journey won the inaugural AllStar Mile in 2019 as a three-year-old, after she scored an emphatic win in the Group 1 Australian Guineas (1600m) at Flemington.
The race comprises a field of 15 of which 10 are voted in by the Australian public and five entries will be taken by either wins in ballot-free races leading up to the main event along with a couple of wildcard entries.
“I’m hoping Tassie, and the rest of Australia can get behind this horse and vote for him to get a berth in the AllStar Mile because he is a real Aussie battler that has picked himself up off the canvas and is back showing his incredible fighting spirit on and off the track.”
While The Inevitable ($1.60 fav) was awesome, lightly raced five-year-old Rebel Factor that was having his first crack at weight-forage conditions, delivered a brilliant effort to finish a game second. Rebel Factor (Brendon McCoull) was having only his eighth start and went into the Conquering on the back of a win in a benchmark 76 handicap in Launceston a week earlier.
The Team Wells-trained gelding had never raced on a seven-day back-up, he drew the outside barrier and was meeting experienced opposition at level weights, but he handled the task with aplomb, racing outside the leader First Accused before forging clear in the home straight, but run down in the last 100m.
The Inevitable’s next mission is likely to be the weightfor-age Tasmanian Stakes over 1600m at Elwick on January 6.