Winning Rupert Runs Fast Times In Outstanding First Up Performance
Taken straight to the front, Winning Rupert safely held off some early pressure for the lead, increased his advantage on turning for home and then raced right away over the closing stages to score brilliantly by five and three quarter lengths.
The time for the 1200 metre race was 1:09.42, which bettered the Eagle Farm track record for that distance by 0.49 seconds.
Clocked from the 1000 metre point, Winning Rupert returned 200 metre sections of 11.16, 11.48 (400m in 22.64), 11.04 (600m in 33.68), 10.88 (800m in 44.56) with his last 200 metres in 11.78 to give the colt a very fast final 1000 metres in 56.34.
Winning Rupert has now raced three times, all in Queensland, to date. He scored his debut win in a Two-Year-Old Plate (1000m) at the Sunshine Coast on 23 April and was then spelled after taking out the Champagne Classic (Gr 2, 1200m) at Doomben on 14 May.
After Saturday’s success, his immediate mission is now at the Gold Coast on 14 January, where he is eligible for a $500,000 bonus after winning on Saturday if he can win either the Magic Millions Guineas (RL, 1400m), the Gold Edition Plate (Listed, 1200m) or the Vo Rogue Plate (Gr 3, 1300m).
As a clear demonstration of the merit of Winning Rupert’s victory is a comparison of times between the QTIS Three-Year-Old Plate and the feature race on the same program, the George Moore Stakes (Gr 3, 1200m).
That race went to the promising Tony Gollan four-year-old Most Important (I Am Invincible) who took his record to five wins and eight placings from 22 starts with an impressive two and three-quarter length win over a field of experienced open class sprinters.
Most Important ran the 1200 metre journey in 1:09.86, also quick time but it was 0.44 seconds slower than the lightly raced Winning Rupert.
The win of Most Important was still noteworthy, however, and he looked smart in running away over the closing stages after being back in fifth place at the home turn.
Most Important returned quick closing sectionals with his last 1000 metres in 56.36, last 800 metres in 45.64, last 600 metres in 33.76, last 400 metres in 22.76 with his final 200 metres in 11.72.
Another to catch the eye in the race was the late closing favourite Too Good To Refuse (Rothesay) who came from last at the 300 metres to finish fifth, trainer Desleigh Forster blaming defeat on the talented four-year-old’s reluctance to go between runners in the straight, before switching deep.
Earlier in the Eagle Farm card, the Sunshine Coast-trained colt Bring It Home Pop (Rothesay) also impressed with his times in winning the QTIS Two-Year-Old Plate (1000m).
After racing outside the leader until well into the home straight, Bring It Home Pop, dashed to the lead and then went on to score quite comfortably by three quarters of a length in the smart time of 58.21 on the Good4 track.
Bring It Home Pop returned fast closing sectionals with his last 800 metres in 44.88, last 600 metres in 33.56, last 400 metres in 22.38 with his final 200 metres in 11.66.
Trainer Daryl Hansen then advised that he would now set Bring It Home Pop for the Magic Millions 2YO Classic (RL, 1200m) at the Gold Coast on 14 January.
Bring It Home Pop had only raced once previously, when second to Kelly Schweida-trained filly Cellargirl (More Than Ready) in the QTIS Two-Year-Old Handicap (1000m) at Eagle Farm on 19 November.
Bring It Home Pop’s subsequent win also confirms the merit of Cellargirl’s impressive late-closing debut win that day, an excellent performance which since featured in this column recently.
Cellargirl is also expected to be headed to the Gold Coast for the Magic Millions 2YO Classic with sound claims although the locally-trained juveniles will naturally be facing some tough interstate challengers.
While Saturday’s Eagle Farm meeting had some interesting racing, the feature race of last weekend’s racing was in Perth with the Kingston Town Classic (Gr 1, 1800m) on the final day of their summer carnival the highlight.
Victory went to the Darren Weir-trained Stratum Star (Stratum) who staged a good staying performance in coming off a strong pace to score a last-stride nose win over the Railway Stakes (Gr 1, 1600m) winner Scales Of Justice (Not A Single Doubt).
Time for the 1800 metre journey on the Good4 track was a very solid 1:49.49, which is a 200 metre rate of 12.16. The first 1200 metres clocked 1:13.77 (12.29 200m rate) with the final 600 metres in 35.72 (11.90 200m rate).
The winner enjoyed an ideal trip from barrier one, being handily placed on the rails to the home turn, but he did impress with the resolute manner in which he ran on over the latter stages to grab his second Group One victory.
But the effort of the runner up Scales Of Justice was the most noteworthy of the race, and perhaps the whole Perth summer carnival, as the four-year-old rising star was forced to work from his difficult barrier (15) before racing outside the leader (at a solid tempo) and after taking the lead, he was only defeated by the barest of margins.
Scales Of Justice certainly looks up to east coast standard and it is only a matter of time before trainer Lindsey Smith embarks on a campaign to test him in Sydney or Melbourne or perhaps Brisbane in the winter.
But the last word in this week’s column has been reserved for a potential topliner in the German-bred Plein Ciel (Mamool), who is now unbeaten in two Australian starts for the Darren Weir stable.
After his impressive win in a Warrnambool Maiden (1300m) on 17 November, Plein Ciel followed that with an even more impressive win in the Benchmark 64 (1400m) at the Sandown Hillside track on Wednesday.
After racing back in sixth place, Plein Ciel came with a wide run before racing away to score brilliantly, looking suited to much longer distances than 1400 metres.
Visually he was impressive, his times even more so, with Plein Ciel returning 200 metre sections (from the 1000m) of 11.09, 10.78 (400m in 21.87), 11.57 (600m in 33.44) 10.81 (800m in 44.25) with his last 200 metres in 11.46 for a brilliant final 1000 metre time of 55.71.
Plein Ciel looks a classy horse with Group potential.
Eagle Farm & Ascot sectional Times provided by – www.dailysectionals.com.au