Winning Horse: War Critic (Nz)

4yoG Declaration Of War (USA) - Theatre Buff (USA)(Theatrical (Ire))

10 starts - 3 wins 1 third 1 fourth $97455

Other Wins

1st Sandown-Lakeside Thoroughbred Club Hcp (C1) 1500m (2021)

1st Cranbourne Obrien Real Estate Mdn Plate 1200m (2020)

Other Placings

3rd Sandown-Lakeside Clanbrooke Racing Hcp (C1) 1300m (2020)

Race Result:

1st: War Critic (D Lane/M Ellerton & S Zahra) - $6

2nd: Hasseltoff (J Kah/R Griffiths & M De Kock) - $2.60F
3rd: Five Kingdom (L King/T Dabernig & B Hayes) - $16

Winning Time: 1:50.20 Last 600m: N/A

Margins: Short Neck x ½L

Winning Trainer: Mathew Ellerton & Simon Zahra (Mathew interviewed)

“He’s got pretty solid. Still a very immature horse. He’s still another prep away. We’ve never had a good crack at him, he’s always had a niggle here and there. He got very sick when we gelded him and it’s good to have a nice faultless prep with him.

“He’s a progressive sort of horse - still a prep away - but it’s good to see him get the job done.

“No doubt the ride that won the race. He (Lane) gave him a peach (of a ride) the first furlong and then he slotted well and he did get the run of the race. Thankfully the horse was good enough to get the job done after a good ride.”

What’s next: “He was 67-rated before today so he’s probably a prep away. We’ll chip around the edges with him and he can be a solid handicapper in preps to come.”

Winning Jockey: Damian Lane

“Nice of Mat to give me a compliment for a change.

“But he (horse) began well and he took most of the hard work out of the equation for me. He jumped well and travelled lovely for me. When he kicked he was too strong.

“I knew where the favourite was. I just waited as long as I could to go. Just copped a bit of a bump at the top of the straight so I thought it was going to cost us but he did a good job to pick himself up and finish the race as well as he did.”

On the pattern so far: “I think it’s more the way the races have been run. The track looks in really good order, really even. Obviously we had a horse that was long odds (Legenda) in front and going at a quick tempo so you can’t blame the track for that. Prior to that Think ‘N’ Fly raced really well, on the speed close to the rails so hopefully there’s a fair afternoon of racing.”

Which of the co-trainers give the better ‘spray’: “Matty gives some awkward sprays. He’s very silent. He give you the silent treatment for a little while. Simon can do a bit of whinging.”

Mathew de Kock on second-placed favourite Hasseltoff: “I thought he was gaining on the line. He didn’t jump as well as his last few starts. We’d like him a bit closer. We would have liked him to have been in front of War Critic rather than behind him. A bit of interference on the bend as well but that wasn’t Damian Lane’s fault. I thought he still hit the line well.”