Triumph and tragedy for racing partners
THE ever-fluctuating fortunes of the racing world were on show for OTI racing partners Terry Henderson and Simon O’Donnell at Sandown last weekend.
Earlier in the week one of their team, the Peter Moody-trained Ibicenco, winner of last year’s Geelong and Sandown Cups, died after a freak paddock accident.
But in the space of 40 minutes, Renew won the Sandown Cup and then Au Revoir landed the Group II $350,000 Zipping Classic (2400 metres) for OTI connections after a thrilling duel with Epingle.
Au Revoir and Epingle, the only mare in the field, went stride for stride over the last 200m with Epingle gaining a head advantage, only for the former French stayer to surge late to grab a head margin.
Winning jockey Kerrin McEvoy said he was always confident Au Revoir would prevail in the slogging finish.
‘‘He kept something in hand, he relished it,’’ he said. ‘‘He laid back his ears when he was challenged. It was job well done, he will be a nice acquisition for Peter Moody next campaign.’’
Au Revoir raced for champion French trainer Andre Fabre on Saturday but will switch to Moody next year.
Au Revoir ran a brave eighth in this year’s Melbourne Cup and, not surprisingly, that’s the race he will be aimed at again next year.
‘‘He came through the cup run well. It’s a good sign when they can back up,’’ Henderson said.
Five of the past eight Zipping Classic winners contested the Melbourne Cup at their previous start – Zipping in 2007-08 and 2010, and Americain in 2011.
In three Australian starts, Au Revoir has now earned $358,000 with indications plenty more is to come for the Singspiel five-yearold.
The OTI model is to source stayers from Europe with the Melbourne Cup the lure for potential owners.
In the meantime a trip to Hong Kong for the Vase (2400m) in December is a possibility.
Long term, Henderson forecast a light autumn with the aim of a Melbourne Cup year.
Michelle Payne said the Zipping Classic favourite Prince Of Penzance, who finished third,
campaign
next may have shied at a flock of seagulls on the turn out of the straight but it had no bearing on the gelding’s defeat.
‘‘He was never on the bridle so it didn’t worry me. The fact he was backing up just took his turn of foot away, but he tried hard,’’ she said.
Dwayne Dunn
said
Spillway, who was fourth, simply found the 2400m beyond him. Melbourne Cup winner Green Moon struggled into fifth after being given every chance.
Englishman Archie Alexander, who set up as a trainer at Ballarat in June, has had a quick journey to his first feature win after Renew overcame difficulties to outstay his rivals in the listed Sandown Cup (3200m).
Saturday’s pre-race plans went out the window from the start but the import still proved too good.
‘‘The [way the race] race was [run] was a complete disaster,’’ Alexander said.
‘‘We wanted cover, wanted to sit in the middle, we wanted to come late and apart from coming late, everything was upside down,’’ he said. ‘‘When I saw him up running second in front of the stands the first time, I thought ‘this is a disaster’ but it all worked out great.’’
With a muddling pace up front, there were several early moves and Renew, a $3 favourite, eventually settled just off the speed midrace, before coming home resolutely in the straight to reel in Like A Carousel, the runner-up for the second year in a row, to win by a half-neck.
After a nice run in transit, Shoreham fought on well for third.
‘‘We had done a lot of work early in the race and the wide draw didn’t help,’’ Renew’s rider Chris Symons said.
‘‘We got some cover when I needed it and I knew when we straightened that we weren’t going to get beaten.’’
Renew came to Melbourne with the first wave of spring imports but after a disappointing effort in the Herbert Power Handicap for trainer Marco Botti, was transferred to Alexander in the hope that the country environment might help spark him into form.
After failing in the Caulfield Cup, the five-year-old showed some improvement when second in a 2800m handicap at Flemington on Melbourne Cup day before Saturday’s win.
After this campaign Renew was scheduled to join the stables of Chris Waller in Sydney but Alexander will be hoping there is a change of plan.