Roman conquers the Classic

By Glen Atwell
THE Sandown Classic trophy landed at Cranbourne when Robbie Laing’s tough stayer Roman Arch conquered the 2400-metre course to win the $400,000 Group 2 feature on Saturday.
The seven-year-old produced a sensational sprint down the straight to bolt clear and score for Laing, who prepares the horse at the Cranbourne Training Complex.
Jockey Noel Callow timed the burst perfectly, shifting out from the rails with 800 metres to run and guiding his mount past Zacielo and Expunge within 250 metres of the post.
Zacielo set a lightning tempo in the final feature race of the Spring Carnival, allowing Roman Arch to settle in with cover and enjoy a trouble-free run before responding well when Callow called on him.
The ensuing celebrations were very much family oriented, with Callow and Laing sharing a long and close friendship.
After the race Laing said he and Callow had a good understanding of each other.
“When Noel was 14 and finished high school, he went straight into training with my father, Eddie,” he said.
“The ride today was great.”
The spring is far from over for Roman Arch, who will likely back up on Saturday to contest the Group 3 Eclipse Stakes at Sandown, with the maximum allowed weight of 60 kilograms.
Laing said backing up wouldn’t be a problem.
A bumper crowd of almost 13,000 and sensational racing combined to support the feature race, however there was also a sad note when Million Lad had to be destroyed after breaking a foreleg in race seven.
The tragic accident happened when Sydney horse Million Lad broke down horrifically while sprinting to the winning post.
Apprentice jockey Blake Shinn was dumped as Million Lad stumbled, Lancet was also inconvenienced, throwing Danny Nikolic, who landed heavily.
Bomber Bill surprised punters and maybe even himself with a strong win in race five.
Cranbourne jockey Peter Mertens was overjoyed with the win, after saluting the judge in a close finish.
Another district trainer, Alan Williams, also tasted success on the day when his son Craig piloted Danerette to victory in the third race.