Trainer Shane Baertschiger joked that it was about time jockey Matthew Kellady made his outstanding barrier trial form of last week count in races after he greeted the judge aboard Ladrone on Friday night.
Baertschiger’s No 2 stable jockey was indeed in white-hot form at the jumpouts on January 5 when he went through the card, winning all six barrier trials on the programme, all for his boss. One of them happened to be Ladrone, who took out the fourth pin of the six-timer.
From the other five winners, three will race later, Big Man and Guilty Pleasures in Race 8 and debutant Montaigne in the last race while newcomer Royal Guard and Smiddy Byrne race on Sunday.
It remains to be seen if the other five will follow suit, but Baertschiger was certainly enjoying the first one to reproduce that trial form where it matters.
“It’s great Matty won all six trials last week, but it’s about time he wins a real race,” he laughed.
“But seriously, he rode this horse a treat. Ladrone is more of a Polytrack horse, but he has now had two starts on the turf for one win and one second.
“That certainly gives us more options with him.”
The Nicconi five-year-old indeed made his mark primarily over the alternative surface, with all 12 starts but one on Polytrack.
But to Kellady, who interestingly rode the on-pace bay only twice before, including that head second to Faithfully at his only grass test (1200m) last October, said the key was not so much a matter of underfoot conditions, but more in the manner he is ridden.
“The inside gate helped for sure, but the trick to this horse is to cuddle him along. The more you cuddle him, the more he keeps finding,” said the Ipoh-born hoop.
“I just rode him hands and heels in the last bit, and even when I pushed him out, I was not going all out or he would pull up on you.”
Ladrone ($15) looked like he was coming to the end of his run when Michael Clements’ first-starter and $13 favourite Knight Judge (Gerald Mosse) came upsides at the 300m, but Kellady did not press the panic button, and instead, just lowered himself in the saddle a little more, driving enough impulsion into his mount to lift him over the line.
In the end, Ladrone fell in by a neck from Knight Judge with Damon (Danny Beasley) third another three-quarter length away. The winning time was 1min 10.16secs for the 1200m on the Short Course.
