Proverbial might be headed north and beyond after winning the Highway
She took out the same Highway Handicap exactly a year ago and the Lou Mary-trained Proverbial could be now looking for some black type after powering home to win today's edition. The daughter of The Factor just got the better of a brave Comonic on the line, with the latter having to shoulder 63kg's. Mary will now look to head up to Queensland with even bigger plans in store later in the year.
"In three week's time there's the Healy Stakes in Brisbane, six furlongs," Mary said.
"If you win you get straight into the Ramornie, exposure maybe for the Kosciuszko. A mare like this deserves her spot, she goes on any ground."
Resonator not just a wet track bully
His previous two victories had come on Heavy surfaces but the Gai Waterhouse and Adrain Bott-prepared Resonator has saluted on a Good surface in a stirring go over 1400m. With less than a length covering the first four on the line, jockey Brett Prebble had to lift his mount over the line with runs being made left, right and centre.
"Wasn't it a tough win?," Stable representative and former jockey Neil Paine marvelled.
"Gai and Adrian are just tapping at him and getting to the bottom of him. If we can get him to produce that every day, he'll win more races."
Apprentice jockey Reece Jones outrides his claim
With the likes of Tyler Schiller, Dylan Gibbons and Zac Lloyd all riding plenty of winners on the Sydney metropolitan tracks the apprentice ranks have never been stronger. The win of Devil's Throat in The Agency Real Estate Handicap saw another apprentice Reece Jones outride his claim in a bunched finish over the 1200m. The Snitzel gelding got the bob in on the line to win by the barest of margins giving Jones his second win on the card and now 80 at metropolitan level. He will now find himself without an allowance moving forward.
"It was a goal of mine halfway through the season, I definitely wanted to get that done. End of an era, up with the big boys now," Jones said.
"I've got a nice book of rides next week so hopefully they keep me on even though I don't claim anymore."
Mach Schnell too good in the Racing And Sports Handicap
He's been a bit of a hit or miss campaigner for punters but the Joe Pride-conditioned Mach Schnell defied his $41 starting price to take out the Racing And Sports Handicap over 1800m. The six-year-old Zacinto gelding was taken forward from the wide draw by Tyler Schiller, a move that Pride saw as being the defining moment.
"It is something particularly when he is at this track and goes back, he just doesn't compete. But Tyler put him into the race today which was the plan. Honestly, I didn't think he could win but it's good to see him win.
"He wouldn't be a punter's favourite this horse because he does mix his form. But he's managed to pick up a Saturday race every preparation, so he's been great for connections."
High Five for McEvoy
It was a red letter day for hoop Kerrin Mcevoy who brought up five victories on the ten race card. The three-time Melbourne Cup winner started his day on the right foot with a narrow victory on board Congregation in the opening two-year-old contest before missing out in both the Highway and Midway Handicaps. He bounced back to the winner's stall with Grebeni and then brought up a race-to-race double taking out the feature race on the card, the Listed Winter Cup on Al Aabir. He made it four wins on top of Robusto taking the Churchill gelding straight to the front and holding off all comers in another tight finish before rounding out his stellar day on Winning Verse in the last.
"I might've ridden five once years ago but I can't remember the exact day," McEvoy said."You've got to enjoy those days, everything was going right and I had the cattle underneath me."
Quote Of The Day - A humble Kerrin McEvoy after mistakenly being called 'J Mac' by Corey Brown following Grebeni's victory.
