Trekking wins The Goodwood: All the latest from a big day of racing at Morphettville
Star South Australian sprinter Gytrash was stunned in the Group 1 Goodwood at Morphettville. That and all the latest news from the racing on Goodwood Day.
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It was heartbreak for star South Australian sprinter Gytrash after he was nailed in the final stride in Saturday’s $400,000 Group 1 Goodwood (1200m) at Morphettville.
Gytrash and Jason Holder looked to have South Australia’s sprint feature in their keeping when they speared to the lead with 200m to travel only to be cut down by Godolphin’s Trekking right on the line.
Trekking completed a stunning three weeks in Adelaide for jockey John Allen.
He finished third in the Group 1 Australasian Oaks but turned Derby Day into his own with a feature race treble including the Derby aboard Russian Camelot before Trekking provided a memorable win as his first in the famous royal blue silks of global racing powerhouse Godolphin.
“What a great little horse,’’ Allen said.
“I was surprised with how small he was, but he was tough.
“We had a super run, the runner-up gave a really good kick, when we got out I thought we were going to catch them and to my lads credit he really fought and put his head down on the line,’’ he said.
The man, who came to Australia as a jumps jockey, added a 10th Group 1 win to his resume, his fourth in Adelaide and his first over a sprint trip
“It’s my fourth in Adelaide, my first over a sprinting distance, I think the rest are any shorter than 2000m,’’ Allen added.
“It’s nice to get one on the board over the shorter trip,’’ he said,
It was only his second ride for Godolphin and his first ride for James Cummings who joined great grandfather Jim and famous grandfather Bart as a winning trainer in the Group 1 Goodwood.
“I think I might have had one ride for them before in a poxy maiden,’’ Allen said.
“It was good to get the ride, very famous colours and James Cummings is a part of a very famous family, it was my first ride for him so a good start to our partnership hopefully.
“I was glad to be able to get the job done form them,’’ he said.
Godolphin’s Lyre closed well for this placing and there was plenty to take out of the race.
2018 winner Santa Ana Lane was cleared to run just before the start after being fractious in the barriers flashed home for sixth while the run of the race was Behemoth who came from last to finish on the heels of the placegetters.
Star mare Sunlight again failed beating just three runners home.
And it promises to be another big night in the house where Allen is staying after self-isolating in Adelaide with fellow jockey’s Dean Holland and Ethan Brown during the Festival of Racing with all three riders leaving Morphettville a winner.
Vic’s dream SA run continues
Victorian rider Georgina Cartwright was first into self-isolation and added another feature to her South Australian stint when Oasis Girl led throughout to win the $100,000 Listed Centaurea Stakes (1630m).
Having already claimed the Group 3 D C McKay Stakes with Jungle Edge, Cartwright produced a perfect front running ride to narrowly hold off Nerve Not Verve in the mares feature.
It was a late pick-up ride for Cartwright with talented apprentice Lachlan Neindorf dually engaged and committed to emergency Walking Flying.
“My manager gave me the call this morning, I’d already eaten a fair bit, the horse had 53kg, so I had to have a little sweat but it all paid off in the end,’’ Cartwright said.
Cartwright said the mare had a tendency to race keenly through the middle stages but was still brave enough to fight off rivals and will get better as the tracks soften deep into winter.
“She wanted to over do it the whole way but she was tough in the finish,’’ Cartwright added.
“I think she’ll improve coming into winter, I think she would have liked a bit more give (in the track) then we had today,’’ she said.
Freedman’s filly claims classic
Anthony Freedman’s Realm Of Flowers made amends for missing a start in the Australasian Oaks when the promising filly proved the superior stayer in the Group 3 SA Fillies Classic (2500m) at Morphettville.
Having spent the past five weeks in Adelaide with Paula Trenwith, Real Of Flowers was given a kill at Murray Bridge before making it two straight and adding valuable Black Type to her pedigree.
It continued a successful Adelaide Festival of Racing for jockey Damien Thornton who gave the filly a perfect run midfield before sweeping into the race on the home turn and quickly putting pay to rivals.
It was Thorton’s third win from as many rides on Realm Of Flowers who looks a filly capable of featuring in better races in her four-year-old season.
“She feels like she’s still untapped, there is more where that came from. She’s a really nice filly,’’ Thornton said.
“She gave me a good ride and made my life easy.
“To what sort of level she can get to in the spring I’m not sure. She’s probably going to be a better horse this time next year, she’s a big raw filly, she on the up.
Tony and Calvin McEvoy’s Silent Sovereign was brave in defeat chasing hard after the winner, the eye-catching run coming from fourth placegetter Tralee Rose who was having just her fourth start.
Leon secures Extra winner
Hall of Fame trainer Leon Macdonald added a fourth $120,000 Group 3 National Stakes (1200m) to his resume with the blinkers working wonders with progressive two-year-old Extra Time.
A dig early from jockey Jason Holder saw the youngster drive through underneath rivals and take up the lead where he ran rivals ragged to safely hold the heavily-backed $1.7m colt Kazuhiko who raced greenly in the home straight before closing sharply the last 100m.
“He took the bridle probably too quick and then presented himself,’’ Holder said.
“I said, ‘geez I’m the leader, this isn’t going to plan’.
“He got around the corner still travelling and he did enough. It’s probably his hardest run, this one he put it together,’’ he said.
Macdonald said he was a little surprised to see the horse free rolling in the lead after getting back in the field at both runs in his second campaign.
“He looked a bit too keen to me but by the time he got to the corner I sort of had a look back through the field and there were a lot of horses under pressure, so I thought he’ll keep going,’’ Macdonald said.
“The horse has been racing well without much luck,’’ he said.
24 years since Holder and Macdonald combined to win the feature with Will Fly, Extra Time is likely to have a break and be set for the spring where he has plenty of scope to get over more ground.
The son of Shooting To Win was sold in Adelaide for $120,000 by leading Tasmanian Breeder David Wishaw of Armidale stud.
Originally published as Trekking wins The Goodwood: All the latest from a big day of racing at Morphettville
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