Pitman happy with trip but disappointed with result

It was a huge thrill to take on Winx but Michael Pitman is glad he doesn’t have to do it again.

The atmosphere at Moonee Valley on Saturday — where more than 38,000 rowdy racing enthusiasts turned out — was an experience Pitman will never forget. He rates it as one of the highlights of his four decade long training career.

Christchurch horse Savvy Coup couldn’t match champion mare Winx, who won by two lengths, but did not disgrace herself either.

Pitman, who said it was an honour just to watch Winx in the flesh and have a horse in the same race, was disappointed his classy mare could not gain a topfive finish but the Riccartonbased trainer was doing well just to be there to see his horse run.

He was only discharged from Christchurch Hospital on Thursday evening after having surgery as he continues his fight against bowel cancer.

Despite being "a bit knackered" on Saturday evening Pitman said it was a huge thrill to watch the race live and he praised the Moonee Valley Racing Club who he said could not have looked after him better.

It’s been a significant weekend for the Pitman family, Cox Plate aside. Pitman’s son and training partner Matt missed the Moonee Valley experience for the birth of his first child that was born late Saturday night.

As special as the atmosphere was at Moonee Valley, Pitman also believes it cost Savvy Coup any chance of a top-five finish in the A$5 million (NZ$5.4M) Cox Plate.

Pitman knows Savvy Coup was never going to beat the champion that is Winx but believes she could and probably should have finished in the top five.

She ran home in seventh, 11 lengths behind Winx.

Savvy Coup failed to relax in the early running and using that extra energy told late in the race when she struggled to go with the big guns.

"She got fired up by all the goings on around her, it’s a big learning curve," Pitman told Stuff yesterday.

"I’m disappointed with the result but it was a huge thrill to be there and we’ll just turn the page and move forward," Pitman said.

Savvy Coup’s seventh placing earned her A$100,000 (NZ$108,880) and took her career earnings to just a shade under $800,000.

Ironically one of the best starts Savvy Coup has made out of the barriers put her in the wrong spot in the running.

The plan was to drop back and follow Winx but instead, Savvy Coup’s jockey Chris Johnson had little option but to drop down to the rail after easily beating Winx out of the gates.

Pitman conceded the race panned out the opposite of what they wanted but said that wasn’t Johnson’s fault.

"It’s just the way it worked out. "She’ll hopefully find some improvement from that race and be cherry ripe for a race that she can win," Pitman said.