The $100,000 Sydney Markets Ltd Stayers Cup had all the ingredients of a race with limited interest, a small field of seven with the withdrawal of the early market favourite on Friday prior to driving rain on start time.
Photo by Racing and Sports
However, it turned out to be anything but with two horses in the form of Roi D'Jeu and Adroitly taking all the interest and holding the attention of punters right to the final stride.
Star Hawk took the early lead from the barriers and passing the finish post for the first time they had a length over Roi D'Jeu and Reigning.
Adroitly, trained by Peter Snowden and ridden by Kerrin McEvoy, settled in fifth and they sat there down the back straight. With 1600m to run Avdulla went to the lead on Roi D'Jeu followed by Ashwahgandha.
Avdulla had Roi D'Jeu out in the lead by 3L passing the 800m but McEvoy waited until the 600m before making his move. Even with his 58kg Adroitly made ground quickly on the leader. These two left the rest of the field behind, a long way behind.
It appeared that Adroitly would go straight past the leader but Roi D'Jeu kept going maintaining a length advantage as they carried on through to the 200m. Then McEvoy swapped the whip to his left hand and Adroitly responded.
Adroitly lengthened again and started to take ground from Roi D'Jeu. Slowly but surely Adroitly gained the upper hand, despite his 4kg weight disadvantage, and then they were past and at the line the winning margin was a half-length.
Roi D'Jeu was a massive 14 3/4L ahead of third placed Reigning (Choisir) and the field was spread out for many lengths behind them.
The time was 3.40.92 on the Heavy 10 track with the final 600m in 40.99. Adroitly paid $1.90 on NSW TAB as favourite.
“He is an average horse and this was his race today. He has done a great job and I am very satisfied with his effort and it was a great result,” said Snowden.
“I said to him that at the 1200m to get on their backs as it is very hard to make up ground today. He has 58kg and they had 54kg so you are giving 4kg on wet ground so be mindful of that. I was hoping he would get a bit closer doing what he did but the horse did a great job.
“He had to lift and he did and it is a good result.
“He made us carry our weight and it was like 8kg on a dry track. I thought watching the race that Kerrin thought he would pick them up quicker than what he did, but he knew what he was doing and it was a good ride and he has won the race,” he said.
Snowden explained that with the Darley operation concentrating on producing two and three year-olds it did not allow for the older horses to mature into stayers.
“We do not get too many horses we can get to these races which is just the make-up of our operation,” he said.
“I was worried at the 300m and worried at the 200m, but then at the 100m he was just labouring away so I pulled the stick through to the left hand and I reckon it can really help a horse,” said McEvoy.
“It just gives them a new lease of life and it got him thinking again and then away he went. He was trained well for the race and he enjoyed the trip and the track, so it was enjoyable,” he said.
Adroitly is a four-year-old by Octagonal out of the Anabaa mare Easy Out and this was his sixth win from 22 starts, Two starts ago he won the listed McKell Cup over 2400m at Randwick on May 20th with 54kg and then he was fourth in the listed Winter Cup over 2400m at Warwick Farm with 55kg.
Saturday's win took his earnings to $293,905. Snowden suggested that Adroitly will spell with a 2013 Sydney Carnival the next possible target and races such as the Group 1 Sydney Cup over the same distance as Saturday's win.
