By Brad Kingsbury
CRANBOURNE racegoers who stuck with the local product were toasting their judgment at Sunday’s Tricodes meeting after veteran sprinter Shadow took out the day’s feature gallop.
Prepared at the Cranbourne Training Complex by Colin Davies and ridden a treat by in-form district-based hoop Vlad Duric, Shadow sat just off the pace in the 1300-metre $35,000 City of Casey Handicap, before exploding to the lead in the straight and wining by almost a length.
Duric again demonstrated the skill that has seen him stack up winners over the last fortnight and said he was confident from the time he jumped on the seven-year-old gelding.
“Sometimes you know as a jockey when your horse is ready to go from the moment you get up, and that was the way it was today,” he said.
“He travelled great in the run and I gave him a little click up on the corner and he moved away really nicely.”
Davies was over the moon with his horse’s effort and said the ‘dead’ track rating had assisted the performance.
He said Shadow was a horse that needed patience.
“If you try to understand this horse he will give you all he’s got but he does stupid things and beats himself sometimes,” he said.
“He’s brought some good jockeys undone, but Vlad rode him well today.
“He’s a seven-year-old and he needs time, now. I’m not sure what’s next for him, we’ll just take it as it comes.”
Davies added that winning a race on Cranbourne Tricodes day had increased the thrill of victory.
“It’s the first winner I’ve had on this day and I think it’s a good day for Cranbourne and for racing,” he said.
Leading local trainer Robbie Laing joined Davies on the winners’ list four races earlier when his maiden runner Bettini took out the three-year-old Colts and Gelding’s Plate after being backed into a $3 favourite.
Ridden by John Didham, Bettini made light work of his rivals in the 1400-metre race and Laing said there were better things in store for him.
“I think he has the potential to win races in Melbourne,” he said.
“He was gelded two starts ago and that seems to have done the trick. He was very colty and didn’t want to know about racing before that. He’s settled into a very nice racehorse now.”
Laing joined Davies in giving the Tricodes meeting a big tick of approval.
“It’s a good day and worthwhile for the racing community,” he said.
“It gets people to the races and anything that does that is a good thing.
“You have to try different things to promote racing and I think this day is a good example of that,” Laing said.
Several Cranbourne horses filled minor placings on the eight-event program, while the two $20,000 Showcase races were won by Ballarat trainers Geoff Hicks and Darren Weir with Majestic Arch and Real Assay respectively.
