Delight for Davis as Brooklyn proves handy pick-up ride
VETERAN hoop Wayne Davis was more than happy to pick up a ride for Carl Spry’s stable at Fannie Bay yesterday, when the trainer-jockey could not meet weight requirements to ride his gelding Brooklyn.
It led to Davis riding a smart race befitting of his experience, piloting the five-year-old to a one-length victory in the $19,500 Carlton United Breweries Handicap (1100m) over Kerry Petrick’s five-year-old Poet’s Choice.
“He was able to follow Poet’s Choice well up the straight,” Davis said.
“Carl emphasised to me prior to the race he’s only got a short, sharp sprint.
“So I just followed the leader everywhere he went and stayed on his back.
“When it was time to go, he made that one sharp, short run.”
Brooklyn carried plenty of value into the race-two feature – paying $5 for the win while carrying the lightest weight of 56.5kg and starting from barrier one in the five-horse field.
“He had the favours – barrier one and less weight. But at the end of the day you’ve still got to be able to find the line at the business end,” Davis said.
Brooklyn finished third in the $150,000 Sportingbet First Past the Post Chairman’s Stakes (1000m) at Sandown Hillside in Melbourne for respected Melbourne Cup-winning trainer Gai Waterhouse on February 7, 2015.
“He’s had great form. He’s been placed behind Group 1 horses so I thought he should be half-competitive here,” Spry said.
“It was a good pick-up ride for Wayne.”
Spry will ponder what race he will field Brooklyn in next over the coming days.
“I was hoping to go back to 64 (handicap) over 1100m but I think we’ll have too many points now and we won’t be able to go to that,” Spry said.
“I’m stuck between a rock and a hard place.
“He’s had two runs in the summer series, and where I go to next I’m not too sure.
“His first-up run (fourth in the $21,000 Ladbrokes Handicap in Darwin on December 30) was really good. He had a good weight on him that day.”
Other winning horses yesterday were Bella Giulietta (jockey Jason Lyon for Bob Richard), Commissar (Felicia Bergstrand for Phil Cole), Tuscarora (Vanessa Arnott for Jason Manning) and So Stoic (Michelle Hagley for Chris Pollard).