Jasmin Rouge causes a huge upset at Caulfield
Having finished a modest third on debut at Bendigo last month, the Clinton McDonald-trained Jasmin Rouge showed her talent when she got up in the dying strides to win Saturday’s Group 3 Thoroughbred Club of Australia Stakes at Caulfield.
Given a fine ride by Ben Melham, the three-year-old produced a fine last–gasp effort to beat Tobeornottobe (Pierata) by 0.8 lengths. On Display (Fasnet Rock) came home a further length away in third.
“I’m a bit shocked, actually. We expected her to run well and finish off well but she’s still green and still learning and for her to do that, she’s tough,” stable representative Ali Kennedy-McDonald told Racing.com.
“We wanted to ride her quietly like in her trials, where we thought when she got back she finished off a lot better. Ben rode on the fence for luck and it was a great ride.”
Melham wasn’t overly keen on Jasmin Rouge’s chances coming in, but a push from McDonald and partner Jamie Kah – who rode the filly on debut – convinced him to take the ride.
“It was Clinton’s idea to run the filly and Jamie was adamant that she would run well. They were proven right as I wasn’t as confident,” he said.
“I’m happy to be wrong on this occasion. Really nice filly. She has always shown good ability at home and she’s a long way from the finished product.
“To come here as a maiden and win at her second start with the upside that she’s got – it was great.”