It's a case of one door closing and another opening for South African conditioner Joey Ramsden.
The Cape Town trainer might have his former star Variety Club, the winner of the Group 1 Champions Mile over 1600m at Sha Tin on May 4th, campaigning internationally now, but this has not stopped the stable from major honours with King Of Pain inflicting a surprise win in the R1 million, Grade 1, WFA Rising Sun Gold Challenge (1600m) at Clairwood on Saturday.
Last year it was Variety Club who took the Gold Challenge for Ramsden, and this year he turned to the four-year-old Grey’s Inn gelding whose best win prior to Saturday was in the 2012 Grade 2 Selangor Cup over 1600m at Kenilworth.
King Of Pain had not raced since winning the Magnum Mile over 1600m at Kenilworth back on February 15th, but Ramsden produced the grey in race match fitness for his first ever race at Clairwood, and his first outside of Cape Town.
Jockey Bernard Fayd'Herbe had King Of Pain out well from barrier 10 and he took over the running from Beach Beauty and Sean Cormack who had come out quickly from the outside and crossed the field to initially lead.
Passing the 800m King Of Pain was 1L in front of Pomodoro, Silver Age and Rio Carnival with Capetown Noir and Beach Beauty close behind.
Fayd'Herbe kept up the pressure as they crossed onto the main straight angling out wide on the track close to the outside rail for the 500m run to the line.
Beach Beauty and Sea Cormack came out from the field to challenge on King Of Pain’s inside with Yorker and Anton Marcus inside again. Capetown Noir was making ground behind the leaders but it was not enough for him and the two in front of him as King Of Pain did not flinch all the way to the line.
At the line King Of Pain had 3/4L on Beach Beauty (Dynasty) with Yorker (Jet Master) third with the margin a further 1/4L. Capetown Noir was fourth.
The time was 1.35.45 on the Good track. King Of Pain paid $A35.10 on the STAB pool.
“At the top of the straight I thought I could win because I had not done a lot to get there and I knew that, when my horse felt the others coming, he would go on again and that's exactly what he did,” said Fayd'Herbe who was winning his 30th Grade 1.
“He‘s a special horse and I have always believed in him. In big races in the past things have often gone wrong for him but this shows how good he is,’ he said.
This was the seventh win form 10 starts for King Of Pain, out of the Defensive Play mare Viva La Belle, for his owners Mr and Mrs D Naik, Mesdames K Finch and B Kieswetter and Ramsden.
