Cup glory for Collett
The residents of small rural township Waverley look set to rock and roll for the next few days as resident trainer Bill Thurlow and his gallant mare Glory Days did them proud when bolting home in the Gr.1 Auckland Cup (3200m) at Ellerslie on Saturday.
The Red Giant six-year-old had provided Thurlow and her owners with their biggest win when successful in the Gr.2 Avondale Cup (2400m) at her last start but surpassed that with another commanding performance in the iconic Ellerslie two-miler.
Expertly handled by last season’s leading jockey Sam Collett, Glory Days was true to her normal racing pattern as she settled last in the early stages before looping the field at the 600m mark.
Glory Days quickly bolted clear and never looked like being caught as she relished the heavy underfoot conditions to win by two lengths from last year’s runner-up, Five To Midnight with Blue Breeze just a nose back in third. Collett was trying hard to hold back the tears as she celebrated the first Group One victory of her career.
‘‘I’ve been trying to keep up with mum and dad so to get this is great as I know they quinellaed the race in 1991,’’ she said. ‘‘I was here as a kid then so that was pretty cool, not that I remember much. I’m just so rapt and especially for Bill as he deserved this. I’m rapt that he entrusted me with the ride as she is as tough as they come. Full credit to her (Glory Days) as the whole race I was back, and I was mindful of putting myself there on the corner and she just put me there.’’
Collett is the daughter of Jim Collett and Trudy Thornton who fought out the 1991 Cup on Star Harvest and Shugar respectively.
With the victory Glory Days took her career record to ten wins from 24 starts and over $635,000 in stakes earnings.
● Outstanding mare Melody Belle capped a wonderful season when she beat a quality field in the Gr.1 Bonecrusher New Zealand Stakes (2000m).
The victory made it Gr1 victory No5 in a season that has seen the Commands four-year-old win six of her eights starts and over
$700,000 in prizemoney.
The win carried rider Opie Bosson to establish a new record of 63 Gr1 wins by a Kiwi rider, after he equalled former recordholder Lance O’Sullivan winning on Yourdeel in the Sistema Stakes (1200m) a race earlier.
The Jamie Richards-trained mare as she beat a field with seven other Group One winners. She looped the field with second favourite Danzdanzdance before they set down to a two-horse war for the length of the homestraight.