Sacred Star
Trish Dunell
A frustrating campaign with the top line sprinter Sacred Star was turned around at Ellerslie on Saturday.
Beaten by wet ground in both the Gr.1 Railway Stakes and the Gr.1 Telegraph and a controversially over-watered Te Rapa track for the Gr.1 NRM Sprint, the six-year-old relished the firmer conditions to triumph in the Gr.3 Darley Plate.
"Three summer sprints and three wet tracks, you wouldn't have believed it," trainer Tony Pike said.
A dual Group One winner last season of the Telegraph and the NRM, Sacred Star bounced out to a handy spot in the running and, despite his topweight of 59kg, his class was apparent in the straight.
"He was travelling well on the turn and I had plenty of horse," successful rider Vinnie Colgan said.
"He had a lot of weight and that's why he didn't sprint away like he normally would, but he got the job done."
The runner-up Red Striker, who was in receipt of five and a half kilos, settled toward the tail of the field and, once into the clear, she hit the line strongly ahead of Durham Town and Trepidation, another fast finisher.
Durham Town's brave effort brought the curtain down on the career of the well-performed Ruakaka sprinter.
"That's his last race and he's been a grand old horse – he's loved this race and this course," co-trainer Donna Logan said.
Seven of Durham Town's eight career victories were recorded at Ellerslie, including the Darley Plate in 2012 and last year and sandwiched between the multiple Group One placegetter's wins were a second and a third in the event. – NZ Racing Desk.
Beaten by wet ground in both the Gr.1 Railway Stakes and the Gr.1 Telegraph and a controversially over-watered Te Rapa track for the Gr.1 NRM Sprint, the six-year-old relished the firmer conditions to triumph in the Gr.3 Darley Plate.
"Three summer sprints and three wet tracks, you wouldn't have believed it," trainer Tony Pike said.
A dual Group One winner last season of the Telegraph and the NRM, Sacred Star bounced out to a handy spot in the running and, despite his topweight of 59kg, his class was apparent in the straight.
"He was travelling well on the turn and I had plenty of horse," successful rider Vinnie Colgan said.
"He had a lot of weight and that's why he didn't sprint away like he normally would, but he got the job done."
The runner-up Red Striker, who was in receipt of five and a half kilos, settled toward the tail of the field and, once into the clear, she hit the line strongly ahead of Durham Town and Trepidation, another fast finisher.
Durham Town's brave effort brought the curtain down on the career of the well-performed Ruakaka sprinter.
"That's his last race and he's been a grand old horse – he's loved this race and this course," co-trainer Donna Logan said.
Seven of Durham Town's eight career victories were recorded at Ellerslie, including the Darley Plate in 2012 and last year and sandwiched between the multiple Group One placegetter's wins were a second and a third in the event. – NZ Racing Desk.
