Savatoxl shocks fancies in Goodwood Barend Vorster salutes on Savatoxl in The Goodwood: Picture: Atkins Photography By Gordon Armstrong Comments
Leading trainer Tony McEvoy proved that dreams could come true no matter the odds when Savatoxl ($19) careered away to win the Group 1 Goodwood at Morphettville yon Saturday.
Saddling up three of the non-fancied runners in the race the Tony and Calvin McEvoy team were “hoping for the best”.
But a dream run through the inside and a brilliant ride from stable jockey Barend Vorster saw the five-year-old gelding etch himself into Goodwood history, accounting for Instant Celebrity ($5.50) and Gytrash ($2.70). Other leading pre-race hopes Behemoth, Kemalpasa and Beau Rossa finished well down the track in the field of 11, while Dirty Work was solid in fourth place.
A change in environment appears to be working wonders for the Michael Hickmott trained Reynolds which is now two wins from two races in Australia since arriving from Hong Kong.
The five-year-old son of Exceed and Excel caught the eye with a powerful Australian debut by winning the inaugural Battler’s Bolt maiden at Oakbank on Easter Saturday and then followed up with a victory in a Benchmark 60 over 1520m at Morphettville last Saturday.
Ridden a heady race by leading rider Jess Eaton the rising star powered away after leading to win well.
Bloodstock agent and trainer Hickmott who runs an 800-acre property as a training centre at Wellington and known as Lakewood Stud (on the banks of Lake Alexandrina), said Reynolds was now finding life more comfortable since arriving last year from Hong Kong.
Ex-Hong Kong galloper impresses for Michael Hickmott by Gordon Armstrong Trainer Michael Hickmott has a smart horse on his hands Image: Glenn Campbell
A change in environment appears to be working wonders for the Michael Hickmott trained Reynolds which is now two wins from two races in Australia since arriving from Hong Kong.
The five-year-old son of Exceed and Excel caught the eye with a powerful Australian debut by winning the inaugural Battler’s Bolt maiden at Oakbank on Easter Saturday and then followed up with a victory in a Benchmark 60 over 1520m at Morphettville last Saturday.
Ridden a heady race by leading rider Jess Eaton the rising star powered away after leading to win well.
Emotions flowed for trainer, jockey and many supporters when the South Australian-trained Spying On You won his second Great Eastern Steeplechase, accounting for top-weight and favourite Zed Em in an absorbing race at Oakbank on Saturday.
Sitting off the pace when stablemate Pentelligentsia and Zed Em engaged in an early battle with both swapping the lead, the Grant Young-trained jumper came with a well-timed run with Tommy Ryan on board to beat Zed Em by 3.5 lengths with Pentelligentsia just over eight lengths away in third.
Spying On You ($5) won the big race in 2017 and was having his fifth start in the Great Eastern.
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More than halfway through the racing season and a constant talking point is the rise and rise of the female jockey.
Jamie Kah has a mortgage on the Victorian metropolitan premiership, Jess Eaton is leading the way in Adelaide, whilst Rachel King sits third in the Sydney standings.
The first woman to ride a Melbourne Cup winner, Michelle Payne, believes it s the result of greater opportunities. Five years ago the leading rider in New Zealand was a female for years and I think it s just taken the women in Australia to get the opportunity and now we re seeing it all around Australia, Payne told ABC Radio ahead of International Women s Day on Monday.