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 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.
‘‘ ... you can safely say ‘best sprinter in the world’.’’ Nature Strip’s jockey James McDonald