Va Pensiero stormed the field in early stages of the Group 3 Run To The Rose (1200m) at Rosehill on Saturday giving jockey Nathan Berry his first Group win.
Photo by Racing and Sports
Starting from barrier 10 the Stratum colt was sent straight to the front by Berry and by the start of the first turn he was across on the rails and in charge over Ike's Legacy and Marseille Roulette.
The $4.40 favourite Eurozone were three wide and mid-field with second favourite Sidestep in the rear group.
Va Pensiero was leading well as they crossed the top straight and headed for the final turn. Back in the pack Eurozone was still wide and Sidestep's race was over after being squeezed out the back between horses. Jockey Kerrin McEvoy was forced to take hold of Sidestep and steady him and the colt was not happy for the rest of the race.
Out of trouble and still in command Va Pensiero was running strongly as Berry guided him down the straight. The chasing was led by Dissident and Tim Clark with Marseille Roulette and O'Hara doing well staying in touch, if not actually gaining on the two in front.
Zoustar and Jim Cassidy were coming hard in the middle of the track while out wide Cluster and Peter Robl made a run from the rear of the field. The pace was on up front in a unrelenting manner giving those making up ground a difficult task and so it proved as at the line Va Pensiero had outrun them all for a good win.
Dissident had chased hard as he had done in The Rosebud leading into this race and Marseille Roulette stepped up to black type company for third. Zoustar was fourth and Cluster fifth.
The margins were a long head and 3/4L. The time of 1.09.69 on the Good 3 track was a new race record beating Pierro's time last year of 1.09.86. The final 600m was covered in 34.25.
“He was great today. No scratching's at the barrier and he had to work hard to get across there, they did not give it to him and a nice ride from Nathan. He backed off the speed mid-race, but he is a tough horse and a very good colt,” said Warwick Farm based Coyle.
“We have raced him against the best horses and so far so good.
“We will have a chat with the owners but it could be at Flemington over a straight 1200m (for his next start). I think he is destined to take on the big boys in the autumn carnival, but we will take him home now and see how he pulls up.
“Probably ninety-five per cent that we will miss the Golden Rose and possibly take him to Melbourne for the Group 1 up the straight.
“Every time he runs it is satisfying and I could not figure out why he was that price. When the money starts to talk you start to worry what is going on. I did not say a word before the race, but he is a tough horse and a really nice colt.
“The best thing about him is that he really comes back to his riders now and as if he had over raced he gets rolled in the last 100m,” he said.
The Group 1 Coolmore Stud Stakes (1200m) is at Flemington on VRC Derby Day, November 2nd.
Berry, 22, was pleased with his first Group win after watching his brother Tommy dominate the Sydney Carnival this year and then carry that success through to Hong Kong over the winter.
“A huge effort. I think he is very highly under-rated. I was pretty adamant that I wanted to be positive from the barrier,” said Berry.
“I am just very happy that it is my first Group winner so hopefully it will kick off the start of the spring carnival and hopefully a few more people can believe in me and we can kick a few more goals.
“I was surprised as to how big he pulled up after the race, he had a really good blow so there is plenty of improvement. He is quite brilliant. He did a bit of hard work early but he stuck his head up at the end.
“I think he is very under-rated and that he will go onto bigger and better things,” he summed up.
“I thought I was going to pick the winner up, but to his credit he kept fighting. He is on track to the Rose,” said Clark of Dissident's run.
“If he draws a barrier he wins, if he draws a barrier in the Golden Rose he wins,” said Robl on Cluster.
“I was stuck just where I did not want to be but I still thought he was entitled to battle on a bit better,” said Bowman about Eurozone who finished eighth.
