Whale Song in tune as Nature Strip and Quick Thinker excel in Sydney
PROMISING galloper Whale Song got the big win he had hinted was coming, when taking out the $50,000 Easter Cup (1600m) at Riccarton yesterday.
The local five-year-old Ocean Park gelding ($9) handled the tricky dead 6 track conditions with aplomb as visiting apprentice Wiremu Pinn took all the shortcuts available to him along the fence, to come out on top in a thrilling three-way finish.
Pinn kept up an industrious ride as he got the best out of the Michael and Matthew Pitmantrained runner in the closing stages to defeat the fast-finishing Lightning Jack by a nose, with a short head back to gritty mare Belle Fascino in third.
‘‘He’s been knocking on the door all season and we thought he had a nice race in him,’’ Matthew Pitman said.
‘‘He’s a horse who has taken time to mature and I think you still won’t see the best of him until the spring.’’
● Nature Strip won the $3m
T J Smith Stakes at Randwick on a soft track for expat-Kiwi jockey James McDonald and expattrainer Chris Waller yesterday.
Part-owned by former All Blacks coach Steve Hansen, he exploded away over 1200m, scoring easily for his 16th career win and over $8m in earnings.
McDonald was rapt.
‘‘He’s a special galloper . . . the team’s got him going amazingly well. He’s push-button and you can safely say ‘best sprinter in the world’. I wouldn’t mind a little trip to [Royal] Ascot.’’
The Waikato-trained Quick Thinker ($14) won the Chairman’s Quality (2600m) to turn his form around on a suitable soft track for Murray Baker and Andrew Forsman.
The winner of more than $1.4m, Quick Thinker will head to Saturday’s $2.5m Sydney Cup (3200m) and carry 53kg.
Later, Waikato hopes The Frontman (7th) and Rocket Spade (8th) ran just behind the placegetters in the $2.4m Australian Derby.
The Ciaron Maher and David Eustace-trained Explosive Jack showed his staying prowess ‘.
. . you can safely say ‘best sprinter in the world’.’ NATURE STRIP’S JOCKEY JAMES MCDONALD
when defeating Young Werther and Lion’s Roar.
The son of Jakkalberry prevailed in a thrilling derby finish, with the first three all bred in New Zealand and sold at Karaka in a bumper result. Young Werther is a son of Cambridge Stud’s late stallion Tavistock, while Lion’s Roar, already a Group One winner, is a son of Mapperley Stud’s Contributer.
Kiwi hopes Aegon and Mo’unga were later down the track in the $3.5m Doncaster (1600m) won by Cascadian ($7) and leading Victoria-based female rider Jamie Kah.
● The premier Te Aroha race meeting yesterday was abandoned when track conditions were deemed dangerous.