Pin Your Hopes
Bruno Cannatelli
A lack of alternatives led Pin Your Hopes (NZ) (Pins) to a victory on the quick back-up at Saturday's Caulfield meeting.
Pin Your Hopes got home narrowly at Flemington last Saturday before the Mathew Ellerton and Simon Zahra-trained galloper repeated the effort in the Crown Golden Ale Handicap (1700m).
The six-year-old stepped up from BM78 to BM90 grade in Saturday's $80,000 event but apprentice Ben Thompson got the best out of the gelding to hold off Yulong Baby to win by a nose.
Zahra said the Caulfield race was the only option in the next three weeks for the in-form galloper, which forced the stable's hand to back him up in Saturday's victory, which was his third in four starts since breaking a two-year winning drought at Cranbourne in May.
"Soft tracks have helped and he's got his confidence up," Zahra said. "There's no race for him for three weeks so it panned out perfectly."
Pin Your Hopes opened at $4.20 before easing to $5 before justifying the faith of those that backed him back into $4.20 on track but Thompson thought Yulong Baby had beaten his mount.
"I thought Mick Dee (on Yulong Baby) got me but I've had a great run with photos lately," Thompson said.
"I was confident with the horse that I was on and I was able to edge off the fence at the 900m.
"I got a sweet run through and he gave me his all again." -racenet.com.au
Pin Your Hopes got home narrowly at Flemington last Saturday before the Mathew Ellerton and Simon Zahra-trained galloper repeated the effort in the Crown Golden Ale Handicap (1700m).
The six-year-old stepped up from BM78 to BM90 grade in Saturday's $80,000 event but apprentice Ben Thompson got the best out of the gelding to hold off Yulong Baby to win by a nose.
Zahra said the Caulfield race was the only option in the next three weeks for the in-form galloper, which forced the stable's hand to back him up in Saturday's victory, which was his third in four starts since breaking a two-year winning drought at Cranbourne in May.
"Soft tracks have helped and he's got his confidence up," Zahra said. "There's no race for him for three weeks so it panned out perfectly."
Pin Your Hopes opened at $4.20 before easing to $5 before justifying the faith of those that backed him back into $4.20 on track but Thompson thought Yulong Baby had beaten his mount.
"I thought Mick Dee (on Yulong Baby) got me but I've had a great run with photos lately," Thompson said.
"I was confident with the horse that I was on and I was able to edge off the fence at the 900m.
"I got a sweet run through and he gave me his all again." -racenet.com.au