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Queanbeyan stayer Star Hawk caused a massive boilover at Canterbury on Wednesday proving too good for the Queensland Derby-bound Tohunga.
Photo by Racing and Sports
In a rare 2800m Sydney fixture, the ageing Mick Smith veteran was given the run of the race by Kathy O'Hara in the Benchmark 74 Handicap, despite jumping as a $41 outsider on track. It was Star Hawk's eighth win from 51 starts.
The plunge on Gai Waterhouse's Tohunga ($1.35) always looked in trouble after he missed the start and camped at the rear, and was confirmed when he failed to find a last-ditch burst to the post.
He could only manage second ahead of fellow Sydneysider Zenocoin.
Waterhouse had been using the race as part of the three-year-old's Queensland Derby preparation. It was his first start since running fifth in the Group 1 South Australian Derby (2500m) earlier this month.
“I asked my husband this morning why he marked him up so short and he said 'because he's the class horse in the race',” Waterhouse said before the barriers flung open.
When the starter did press his button, Tohunga was a little tardy and forced to spend the first 10 furlongs in the rear.
Jockey Tommy Berry started his move at about the 800m but had to peel very wide, and the three-year-old simply couldn't muster the devastating finish he'd shown earlier on this campaign.
Up forward on Star Hawk O'Hara waited patiently behind pacesetter Jardaa, before urging the horse to what became a relatively comfortable win.
“I tested my luck trying to get out a little bit earlier than I did but I had to wait for the hundred metres but he was still finding the line,” O'Hara said.
“Mick's done a great job with this horse.
“He said before the race he's probably a bit under city grade but he's done a great job to get him here and get him to win.
“His stable's flying, he's on top of the Queanbeyan premiership with only eight horses so it's a credit to him.”
Smith took the lead in his home-town trainers' premiership when Star Hawk last won, less than two weeks ago.
That salute confirmed a winning double for Smith on the day, and rocketed him to the lead at Queanbeyan with just one meeting left this season.
He strapped the horse himself in Sydney this afternoon, and said the horse thoroughly deserved the win in Sydney after an enduring career.
“It's start 51 so he's been building up to this for a long time,” Smith said.
“We've only come to town a couple of times before and we didn't think he was quite good enough, but this preparation he's been going super.
“He's a great example of how wonderful the benchmarking system can be, it's kept this horse in the race.
“We bred this fella, so it's an owner-breeding-training strapping thing today - it's fantastic.”