An inspired ride from jockey Lisa Allpress saw I Like make a bold midrace dash and upstage his seven rivals in a Class 4 race over 1800m on Sunday.
I Like ($87), whose last success came in Class 5 company two runs back, was one of the best away before being tucked away in a nice spot in third, but Allpress, obviously unhappy with the way Live In Hope (Nathan Berry) was trying to stack the speed upfront, decided to take the bull by the horns at the 1200m mark.
In one fell swoop, I Like scooted to the front, but took a few more strides before securing the lead. Giving her mount a breather, Allpress bided her time until the home turn before asking for the supreme effort from her mount.
The cause looked lost for the Michael Clements-trained gelding when Phantom Knight (Erasmus Aslam) snuck up from behind to dive for the rails gap, propelled forward by what appeared to be a greater momentum. To compound matters further, $16 favourite Golden Lark, who battled in the early stages with his rider Alan Munro, was finally starting to hit the big bounds on the outside.
I Like was clearly headed as Phantom Knight got at least half-a-length ahead but the tables were soon turned back. Digging deep into his reserve, the Don Eduardo six-year-old whacked away under Allpress’s urgings to reel Phantom Knight back in for a most resilient win, gaining the verdict by a short head.
Golden Lark had every chance but peaked on his run to finish third another 1 ¼ lengths away. The winning time was 1min 54.96secs for the 1800m on Polytrack.
Still breathless from her hard toiling, Allpress was, however, glad reward ultimately came by dint of hard work.
“Mike told me this horse is a one-pacer and when they slowed up in front, I decided to go forward,” said Allpress.
“That’s what you have to do with one-batters like him, horses who don’t really have a sprint.
“He fought on very well. I don’t think he was really picking up again, it was probably more the weight difference (4.5kg) that did it for him in the end.
“It was a very exhausting ride, but well worth it!”
Clements praised the Kiwi jockey for her quick-thinking action down the backstraight as well as her never-say-die attitude in the final furlong.
“I thought he was a beaten horse going into the final straight, but it was a great strong ride from Lisa,” said Clements whose last win was in a dead-heat when Oriental Pearl shared the spoils with Mark Walker’s Zac Heaven on February 7.
“I told Lisa before the race this horse is a grinder, a one-pacer and that she has to pick him up early. She did a good job at the back when she let him roll along when they slowed up the pace.
“I honestly didn’t think he had a strong chance before the race as he’s a Class 5 horse up in Class 4 company, though I have to say the field was not very tough.
“But Lisa’s ride as well as the 50kg my horse had on his back probably made the difference in the end.”
I Like, who used to be called Notherefornoodles when prepared by trainer Stephen Gray, has now recorded five wins and six placings from 37 runs and amassed stakes money in excess of $140,000 for the I Like Stable.
