Aussies Love Sport confirmed his potential when winning the $85,000, Dooleys Handicap Bm 75 (1400m) at Rosehill on Saturday with trainer Gai Waterhouse and jockey Tommy Berry pleased with the colt finally showing the promise on the training track out on the race track.
Photo by Racing and Sports
The result left punters not quite agreeing with the sporting flavour of the win with the $2.20 favourite Champagne Cath failing to cope with the early pace from Sugar Rush and then showing no dash in the main straight.
This left Aussies Love Sport to salute at $14.40 on NSW TAB and $15.00 on TAB.com.au fixed odds.
Sugar Rush took over the leading role coming over from the outside barrier seven and then sped off to a 3L lead passing the 600m. The stablemate Aussies Love Sport ridden by Tommy Berry chased well into the main straight with most of the field left struggling with the pace.
Sugar Rush felt the early speed and at the 300m mark Aussies Love Sport caught the filly. Happy Clapper came up alongside Aussies Love Sport as they went past Sugar Rush and these two went away from the rest.
Back in the field the top-weight Kirov extracted themselves from behind the favourite Champagne Cath and set off after the two in front, but it was too late, although the Al Maher colt valiantly took ground away from them in the chase to the line.
Aussies Love Sport was in firm control of the race under Berry and they went to the line with 2 1/4L to spare over Happy Clapper and a further 1 3/4L back to Kirov.
The time of 1.22.77 was a new class record with the final 600m in 36.18 on the Good 3 track.
“A maiden no more and you will see plenty of this colt. He is nominated for the Caulfield Guineas, he is a beautiful big strong horse,” said Waterhouse.“When the stablemate went crazy in front he was up on the speed which I thought he would be. Once he was ridden more aggressively and stood over a little bit, and he needs that, he is a much more effective horse,” she said.
“He has made a fool of us a couple of times this horse and up to the 1400m suited him well,” said Berry.
“I let him work into the race from the 600m and I think that suited him perfectly. It was always going to suit my bloke having to sit off the back of the stablemate and once we got to the 500m I just started to let him slide into it.
“I took off on him a fair way from home bloke I think he takes a fair bit of winding up this and he was nice and strong on the line,” he said.
