Crack sprinting three-year-old Sepoy took another step towards a possible clash with Black Caviar after an impressive win in the Gr 2 Caulfield Sprint (1100m) at Caulfield on Saturday.
Photo by Racing and Sports
The colt who was coming off an outstanding victory in the weight-for-age Gr 1 Manikato Stakes (1200m) a fortnight back was again tackling older sprinters but this time under handicap conditions.
Not only was Sepoy handicapped to carry 2.5 kilos above weight for age against the older horses but he was disadvantaged by dropping back 100m in distance.
Neither of these proved a hurdle for Sepoy, beginning quickly from his inside barrier he tracked the speedy Platinum Skye to the point of the home turn before Kerrin McEvoy set him alight.
Sepoy soon gained command and comfortably held off challenges from useful sprinting mares Curtana and Mid Summer Music to win eased on the line by over a length.
Sepoy had carried the heaviest winning weight by a three-year-old in the history of the race and had done so in effortless fashion pushing his Timeform rating to 129 in the process, eclipsing that outstanding sprinter Schillaci's record as the highest rated winner of the race at 128 back in 1994.
The race was run at a solid tempo throughout and whereas Sepoy under his big weight disadvantage accelerated away in the straight, the other on pace runners that were with him to the turn finished near the tail of the field.
The overall race time of 63.11 seconds on a dead track was almost on standard for good track conditions.
As I pointed out after his Manikato Stakes win, Sepoy's 129 Timeform rating for a three-year-old at this time of the year places him in very elite company.
As a three-year-old Weekend Hussler reached a 130 rating but that was in the Autumn. The only other sprinting three-year-old to go to such heights in the Spring was the mighty Vain whose record of wins over Cup week in 1969 will probably never be matched again.
Sepoy will next race in the Gr 1 Coolmore Stakes (1200m) down the straight 1200m on Derby day before heading off to the paddock.
What racing programme lies ahead in 2012 is yet to be determined but it will almost certainly include an overseas campaign.
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