The $65,000 Initiation race over 1600m saw longshot Golazo emerge a narrow winner to spring a big upset on Friday night.
Ridden by Alan Munro, the Japanese-bred by Screen Hero came from the rear to fight out a four-way go inside the last 200m before sticking his neck out to edge favourite Arhat (Antonio da Silva) by a head with Hussonator (Vlad Duric) third a nose away and Black Swan (A’Isisuhairi Kasim) fourth another nose away. The winning time was 1min 36.42secs for the mile on the Long Course.
Winning trainer Hideyuki Takaoka admitted to be taken a little aback by the Big Valley Stable-owned gelding’s burst in the home straight given his past indifferent first four runs, but did have an inkling how it all came together.
“He used to work down the back on Track 6, but I worked him on Track 2, the main Polytrack in the last couple of weeks,” said the Japanese handler.“The idea was to change things up a bit and that seems to have sparked him up. I definitely saw an improvement and he showed it in his race tonight.
“He’s a stayer and looking for more ground – 1800m to 2000m - but I think the Long Course helped him tonight.
Takaoka realised that the race would not have been in his keeping if the two placegetters had been less wayward at opposite ends of the race.
Arhat was jogging in the box-seat, but had to barge his way into the clear into the straight and then threw the race away when he started to race erratically and shifted out abruptly under the whip.
As for Hussonator, he was a certainty beaten. The big bald-faced chestnut was again his worst enemy with his usual tardy getaway, but even though he tailed off badly in the first half of the race, he stormed home late only to agonisingly fall short by a head.
“We were lucky. If these two horses had run without these problems, we would have picked up third place,” said Takaoka.
“But that’s racing.”
Munro said Golazo ($119) was still not the finished article but was certainly showing promising signs.
“He kept changing his legs in the first 600m,” said the English jockey.
“But at the 400m, he started to race more professionally and hit top speed. He will be better over more ground.”
