Punters had their hearts in their mouths at the start of the $65,000 Victoria Racing Club Trophy over 1100m on the Polytrack on Sunday.
Photo by Singapore Turf Club
Those punters that had taken the $6 about Huka Falls let out a collective groan when the gelding fly-jumped at the start and was the last to leave the barriers.
But their worries were short-lived as jockey Joao Moreira weaved a path through the field to guide the New Zealand-bred three-year-old to a two-and-a-quarter length victory over Spot On (Soo Khoon Beng) with Alpha Dynamic (Saifudin Ismail) a neck back in third place.
Trainer Laurie Laxon has been spruiking the capabilities of his new star Huka Falls, even before the gelding made a winning debut in an 1100m maiden back on August 31.
But what pleased Laxon even more so was the gelding added another option to his racing pattern with his come from behind victory.
On debut Huka Falls raced up on the speed, but on Sunday he was forced to race through the field before getting to the outside in the straight.
“It’s not often you see that (fly-jump at the start) and see them win,” said Laxon.
“I think the horse may learn something from that in that he can now race within a field.
“Joao didn’t panic at the start and just let him gather up his ground under his own steam. He had him travelling on the bridle.
“We’ll test him in something a bit stronger next time. He can run in that Three-Year-Old 1400m race in two weeks time.”
The $200,000 Jubilee Stakes is the race on the agenda whereby Laxon’s new “superstar” will be lined up against some nice three-year-olds which could include Ronnie Brown, Super Good and Empire Bay from Michael Freedman’s yard and Klever Man from the Shane Baertschiger stable.
Moreira believes Huka Falls has the potential to go on to being a Group winner before his racing days are over.
“He has the feel of a Group winner and if he doesn’t win one then he would disappoint me,” said Moreira.
“I was expecting to be at the worst running third but he was giving them at least three lengths soon after the start.
“He got himself up there by himself and worked his way through the field very well.
“He had improved from his first win during his work and he has gone and done something special with that win today.
“Laurie has been saying all along that he is a very good horse and he has certainly showed that with his two wins so far.”
The victory, Moreira’s fourth of the afternoon, took his season’s tally to 159 and with 26 meetings for the season remaining Moreira looks almost certain to reach 200 winners when just in 2007 the “century” milestone was reached for the first time by Noel Callow.
By Align from the Senor Pete mare Diamond Lady, Huka Falls has amassed just short of $70,000 in prizemoney for Laxon’s Silver Fern Racing Stable from his two career starts.
