LATE CHANGE A REAL WINNER
A LATE change to Wanderson D’avila has proven a winner for wily trainer Jamie Mcconachy after he booted home on board veteran galloper Friendly Dragon to claim open honours at Cluden Park yesterday.
The nine-year-old warhorse overcame a hefty 62.5kg impost and an awkward midfield draw to take his career earnings to within a touch of $400,000 in the Brown Brothers Family Wine Makers Open Handicap (1200m).
But it was a win he had to fight for as D’avila rounded the corner at the back of the field before fighting his way through to storm home over a blistering final 200m.
“He has been probably a bit unlucky his last start, he got back a bit too far at Cairns. But we have done a bit of a gear change on him, put a set of winkers on which he has never done in his life. He has been going to the beach a bit, it is good for him. He is a good old horse,” Mcconachy said.
“You don’t do much with him, he just likes to be left alone. He old fella.”
Local galloper Perfect Knowledge, for trainer Georgie Bourke, put in a gallant showing as a $24 outsider, leading the field down the straight before being run down in the final stretch to is a pretty cranky finish third behind
Ryan’s Space Time.
D’avila took the pick-up ride on the gelding after original jockey Ash Butler was thrown from the saddle in the mounting yard ahead of the first race of the day.
“(Friendly Dragon) Janel is a good horse. Carrying 62.5kg there is not too many horses that can do what he did. It took a little bit to warm up in the race, but once he got going he came like a good horse,” D’avila said after the race.
The jumping of the open handicap was delayed at Cluden Park after a barrier attendant had to be taken from the track in an ambulance following an incident in the previous race.
It is understood his knee was crushed while tending to a horse as the gates opened.