SPORT Wapiti win on the money

WAPITI gave Jack Duncan his first feature win and jockey Sean Cormack his biggest success since relocating to Australia when he dug deep to win Saturday’s Winx Guineas.

Wapiti was sensationally backed to start a $2.45 favourite, with punters warming to his chances with a lack of other speedsters in the Group 3 race.

The plonk looked like going astray when Knight Mariner loomed ominously alongside him at the 150m point.

But Wapiti came again on the line to win, with stablemate Love Express not far away in third.

In a sad aftermath to the race, Knight Mariner broke down.

He was immediately taken to a nearby veterinary hospital under the supervision of Dr Tony Doherty, with a suspected fractured pelvis or femur.

Duncan felt his horse deserved the win after being so consistent through his career.

“We knew he would be a bit dour, but he’s come back from 2000m and that’s what won him the race,” Duncan said.

Meanwhile, racing’s power couple Clare Cunningham and Jason Collett combined with a rejuvenated Noble Boy to claim the feature at Rosehill Gardens yesterday.

Noble Boy scored his first win since being transferred to the Cunningham stable when he came with an inside run to take out the Listed $150,000 Kia Winter Stakes (1400m).

Collett was in white-hot form, turning up the heat on a wintry afternoon and completing a treble on Noble Boy after his earlier successes with Rothenburg and Varda.

But Cunningham admitted she was concerned her partner may have used up all his luck with his earlier winners.

“I thought ‘bugger you, you’ve lost all the luck again today’,’’ Cunningham said.

“But Jase is in great form and he rides this horse very well so I’m glad to have him on board.”