Champion New Zealand stallion Darci Brahma ran 1-2 in the $80,000 Class 3 Division 2 race over 1400m on Sunday.
Brahma Circus (Zawari Razali, $27) dug down deep inside the last 250m to stave off challenges left right and centre to eventually prevail by a head from the other son of Darci Brahma in the 11-horse field, Darci Charmer (Olivier Placais, $64).
Third-placed was Fortune Six (A’Isisuhairi Kasim) who finished another head away on the inside. The winning time was 1min 22.71secs for the 1400m on the Long Course.
By coincidence, both Brahma Circus and Darci Charmer have had a fairly identical career path - 38 runs under the belt, both on seven wins and more or less the same amount of prizemoney around the $450,000 mark.
Their last starts were also both on November 24, but in two different races. Brahma Circus was beaten in sixth place by Ares in a 1400m race while Darci Charmer ran ninth to Mighty Conqueror.
Winning trainer James Peters was for one happy the photo has gone his way. Brahma Circus was his only runner of the day.
“It was worth getting off the sofa. When I went through the race, there was not much speed and I told Zawari to use his gate (2) to get in a good spot,” said the British handler.
“He looked the winner at the top of the straight but I was a bit worried about 1400m first-up. He did get tired, but all his career, he has always given 110%.
“A big thank you to his owners Ronnie and Andrew for their patience. The horse is getting a bit old now and he has niggling issues, but we’ll just have to manage him.”
Zawari was beaming after he jumped off, not only because he was in the same situation as Peters, Brahma Circus was his only assignment of the day, but also because he was not at all confident he had held on on the line, and to see his No 2 semaphored tickled him pink as it also meant he could tie with Friday hat-trick hero Troy See on three wins apiece on the ladder.
“James told me to sit second or third and things worked out that way. He was pulling a bit, and that’s why I let him roll to the outside before the home turn,” said the Kelantan-born rider.
“I did not want to get stuck behind horses. The home straight felt very long as I had Olivier and Harry attacking on either side, but luckily, he held on.”
