
Weekend Review
Wow, what a weekend. We saw a great combination of stories; resuming champions, maiden breakers and the Derby favourite continuing to announce himself as a serious animal.
Exuma – 1st at Werribee – BM58 over 1000m
This was an excellent return from the son of Blue Point. The apprentice, Stephanie Hateley notched up her maiden treble on the card with an absolute peach on Exuma. He jumped well and headed straight to the front. He was pressed by 3 other horses for the lead but was able to maintain the front spot. Given the hot speed early, horses up on speed were expected to tire late, and whilst Exuma was a product of that, he was still able to stick on to fight off key rivals and come away with a first-up victory. Onwards and upwards for this galloper this preparation.
The Enchanter – 1st at Canterbury – Maiden over 1250m.
He finally did it! We knew he had the class, but we just needed to see him go that extra length and get his head in front. To the horse’s credit, he was able to show us that he is a seriously exciting horse for the future. He was ridden perfectly by Keagan Latham, who sat on Signor Tortoni’s girth to inject some pressure into the race. As soon as he pushed the button on The Enchanter, he responded beautifully to let down and come away with the win. He has had a really successful prep, and will now go out for a spell on a high!
Willydoit – 1st at Ellerslie – BM75 over 1600m.
Well, well, well…. How exciting is this! The thing I love the most about this is that Shaun mentioned that he could’ve been a bit vulnerable given he was a month between runs and still over 1600m. However, despite this and the manic tempo that the race was run at early, Willydoit was still able to prove why he is a force to be reckoned with. He added yet another string to his already extensive bow… tactical versatility. He settled within the first 4 horses and when a gap came through on the inside, Kevin Stott took his opportunity and he came away with another dominant victory. As we’ve seen with Tarzino’s, as soon as they get to 2000m+, they improve lengths. We cannot wait to see him step out over 2100m in the Avondale Guineas on the 22nd of February.
Infatuation – 4th at Rosehill – BM78 over 1350m.
Yet again, she showed how truly brave and honest she can be. She went forward from the gates and led up the field, but unfortunately just couldn’t finish off. A post race examination revealed that she was bleeding in both nostrils, and will now head out for a spell. Whether she has another racing prep or not is still up in there, but we’ve certainly had a lot of fun with her over the years.
Nana’s Wish – 8th at Sandown – BM78 over 1800m.
This was a relatively tough watch. Given the low weight, Jaylah rolled forward on Nana’s Wish from the wide gate, but just found herself in a speed battle with Independent Road. They went 14.5 lengths quicker than standard time to the 800m, which makes it near impossible to stick on from up on speed. Approaching the corner, Nana’s Wish shifted towards the outside rail about 3-4 lanes before Jaylah’s saddle slipped, causing her to feel unstable, therefore she couldn’t ride Nana out to the fullest extent. She felt that she didn’t handle the ground and that she needs a soft track in order to see her best. She’s pulled up fine and we’ll be praying for the rain next start!