Blinkers help get Engraved off duck

GOLD Coast trainer Bruce Hill rarely gets excited on race day but he found it hard to hide his smile after Engraved finally broke his maiden status at Doomben yesterday.

Engraved ($9.50) made the most of a rails-hugging ride by Michael Cahill to steam past the favourite Wallander ($2.15) in the final 100m to score an impressive win over 1200m.

Engraved carries the colours of one of Queensland’s biggest owners Neville Morgan, who has had a string of top horses such as Group 1 Doncaster winners Rangirangdoo and Kermadac.

Morgan, who was indulging his other passion of golf yesterday, has horses trained throughout Australia but always makes certain he has a horse with Hill.

The Gold Coast trainer said Engraved had been a frustrating horse and should have won a maiden well before now.

“He can really gallop. You would work him during the week and think how good is this bloke and then get to the races and something would always go wrong,” Hill said.

“But we have been working him in blinkers and he races in them now which has made a real change. He will win more races now.”

Engraved, a son of Rothesay, was having his 11th start yesterday.

CRUZE, an impressive winner at Doomben yesterday, faces a last-minute chase for prizemoney to get into the Magic Millions 3YO Guineas field next month.

“He still has only $26,000 in prizemoney and I will have to get some more,” trainer Barry Lockwood said.