Raging favourite Could Be Pearls (NZ) (Alamosa) lived up to his prohibitive $6 odds on Friday night, but not without giving his backers a few anxious moments.
The first half of the $75,000 Restricted Maiden race over 1400m did go to script for the Alamosa three-year-old as he enjoyed a smothered run behind a trio of runners made up of Lim's Operation (Danny Beasley) and Winterfell (Syafiq Hazman) matching motors upfront with Leon (Vlad Duric) dropped back in third on the rails.
But the first jitters surfaced when the pace dropped right off at the 800m, a move which seemed to break Could Be Pearls' stride a touch. Jockey Michael Rodd still had the hotpot under a good hold even as he appeared to bolt under him, albeit restricted by the lack of galloping room around him.
Upon straightening up, Could Be Pearls was still rather ungainly in his action and looking hesitant to take a gap, but Rodd's horsemanship finally kicked in to save the day. As Leon and Winterfell wobbled out a little, the gap widened and Rodd needed no second invitation to pop his mount right through.
Set free at long last, Could Be Pearls let loose all his unbridled energy in the last 200m to go and record a 1 ΒΌ-length victory from Leon with Winterfell third another nose away. The winning time was 1min 24.81secs for the 1400m on the Long Course.
Rodd said Could Be Pearls, who was at his third outing, was like a complete rookie, but once he knows how to harness his true potential, he will turn into a smart individual.
"He felt like a first-year apprentice claiming four," he joked.
"He's not a natural racehorse yet. At his last race, he came through the run better as there was a lot of speed to the race.
"But it was a funny sort of race tonight as the pace was a bit uneven, and he was running away from the other horse in front of him.
"He had his head turned the other way, and he changed legs as well, but once he shot through, he was able to put the race to bed."
Winning trainer Cliff Brown said Could Be Pearls, who is raced by the same connections behind his stable star Debt Collector, the Barree Stable, was a horse for next year.
"He's a very nice horse, he's all new, but he's still very green, he's still got a long way to go," said the Australian handler.
"He was travelling okay until the speed came off. He was all over the place in the straight, but he got the job done.
"I think the 12 day back-up helped him, too. I'll give him a break and bring him back next year.
"He's by Alamosa and he should be able to get a mile." -STC
The first half of the $75,000 Restricted Maiden race over 1400m did go to script for the Alamosa three-year-old as he enjoyed a smothered run behind a trio of runners made up of Lim's Operation (Danny Beasley) and Winterfell (Syafiq Hazman) matching motors upfront with Leon (Vlad Duric) dropped back in third on the rails.
But the first jitters surfaced when the pace dropped right off at the 800m, a move which seemed to break Could Be Pearls' stride a touch. Jockey Michael Rodd still had the hotpot under a good hold even as he appeared to bolt under him, albeit restricted by the lack of galloping room around him.
Upon straightening up, Could Be Pearls was still rather ungainly in his action and looking hesitant to take a gap, but Rodd's horsemanship finally kicked in to save the day. As Leon and Winterfell wobbled out a little, the gap widened and Rodd needed no second invitation to pop his mount right through.
Set free at long last, Could Be Pearls let loose all his unbridled energy in the last 200m to go and record a 1 ΒΌ-length victory from Leon with Winterfell third another nose away. The winning time was 1min 24.81secs for the 1400m on the Long Course.
Rodd said Could Be Pearls, who was at his third outing, was like a complete rookie, but once he knows how to harness his true potential, he will turn into a smart individual.
"He felt like a first-year apprentice claiming four," he joked.
"He's not a natural racehorse yet. At his last race, he came through the run better as there was a lot of speed to the race.
"But it was a funny sort of race tonight as the pace was a bit uneven, and he was running away from the other horse in front of him.
"He had his head turned the other way, and he changed legs as well, but once he shot through, he was able to put the race to bed."
Winning trainer Cliff Brown said Could Be Pearls, who is raced by the same connections behind his stable star Debt Collector, the Barree Stable, was a horse for next year.
"He's a very nice horse, he's all new, but he's still very green, he's still got a long way to go," said the Australian handler.
"He was travelling okay until the speed came off. He was all over the place in the straight, but he got the job done.
"I think the 12 day back-up helped him, too. I'll give him a break and bring him back next year.
"He's by Alamosa and he should be able to get a mile." -STC