Timing spot on to win

Promising 3-year-old Run To Perfection got his timing spot on when he lunged late to score in age group company over 1200m in the first race at Ellerslie on Sunday.

The Stephen Marsh-trained galloper hadn’t been sighted since finishing a gritty fourth behind Catalyst in the Gr.1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m) at Riccarton back in November and went into the race without a leadup trial.

Handled patiently by in-form rider Jason Waddell, the Sepoy colt sat behind the early pace in the six-horse field before angling into the clear in the run home. Pacemaker Madam Hass looked as though she might keep her winning form-line intact as she was holding the challengers at bay at that point but Run To Perfection drove hard to collar the filly right on the line.

“He’s a colt that we have a lot of time for,” Marsh stable representative Todd Pollard said.

“He’s one of the better 3-yearolds in the stable.

“The 1600m might be a touch too far for him at present so sprinting might be the caper for him, but he’s a bloody nice horse.”

Pollard indicated that Run To Perfection would now be set for the Gr.3 Henley Park Mr Tiz Trophy (1200m) at Ellerslie on Karaka Million night (January 25).

The Marsh stable made it a winning double when talented mare Santa Catarina bounced back to winning form in the second race on the programme, the open 1200m contest.

It took Waddell an extra race to claim his double but he did it in fine style with a perfectly executed front-running effort on Pimlico in the day’s other threeyear-old contest, the Barfoot & Thompson (1500m).

Marsh and Waddell combined for a third win later on the day when Lincoln King took out a rating 72 2100m contest.