By David Nagel
The powerful Cranbourne training partnership of Ciaron Maher and David Eustace waited until the last two races on the card to claim training honours at Sandown Hillside on Saturday.
On a day when two Group-3s went up for grabs, the Maher-Eustace camp had three placings earlier in the program before Right You Are produced a dominant display in the $150,000 BenchMark-100 Handicap (1800m).
Piloted expertly by in-form jockey Ethan Brown, Right You Are exploded away in the straight to win running away by four lengths, with Beltoro ($6) and red-hot race-favourite Detonator Jack ($1.65) left in his wake.
The Maher-Eustace stable then made the short trip back to Cranbourne even more enjoyable, after their Irish-import Glory Daze was given a peach of a ride by Mark Zahra to score in the last race on the card.
Zahra settled well back on the inside during the race, before finding galloping room late to kick clear on the rails.
Glory Daze, who ran second in the Group-3 Irish Derby as a three-year-old, is a four-year-old horse out of Cotai Glory/Pioneer Alexander.
His win at Sandown on Saturday was just his second Australian start, after running a close-up fifth at Warrnambool on 8 January.
Eustace was thrilled with the win post-race, with Glory Daze having to overcome a sticky inside gate to get the job done.
“It was obviously a little bit of an awkward spot, but we knew he would be in that (predicament) from the draw, but Sandown is a lovely big track so we felt the gaps could open, and if they did, he’d be able to take it,” Eustace said.
The leading trainer in Victoria said the stable had a high opinion of the horse, but would take the proven path of working him quietly through the grades.
“He’s still got a nice rating, he’s won at 78-grade today, but naturally we’ll take him through the grades and get a bit of feedback from Mark (Zahra) as well,” Eustace explained.
“He’ll step up in trip, but we’ll just enjoy today and work out what he does after the weekend.”
The two Group-3 victories on the program went to the James Cummings-trained Zulfiqar, who took out the $200,000 Chairman’s Stakes (1000m) for two-year-olds, and to Wrote To Arataki, who was trained by Matthew Williams and ridden by Jamie Kah to take out the $200,000 Geoffrey Bellmaine Stakes (1300m).
And Pakenham trainer Peter Moody appears to have an exciting prospect on his hands after Hennessy Lad made it three wins from five career starts in the $150,000 Robert Hunter Handicap (1800m).
The three-year-old gelding started a $2.50 favourite, and used every inch of the Sandown straight to wear down the free-wheeling Gai Waterhouse-Adrian Bott-trained Acosta.
Hennessy Lad gave up a huge start, before continuing a great start to 2023 for popular owner-syndicator Wylie Dalziel.
“It goes in waves doesn’t it, we’ll enjoy it (the luck) while it’s there, and we’ve had a couple of unlucky runners in between,” Dalziel explained post-race.
“We work hard, it’s a dream, but not an overnight success, we’ve been at it for a while and it’s great.
“This is a horse we bought in New Zealand for only $80,000.
“He’s really repaid us and the owners that follow us with these New Zealand horses, they’ve jumped in and having a great day.
“It was a really good win, great ride by Carleen, I didn’t think she was going to get him there but he knuckled down the last 100 metres and reeled them in.”
Dalziel said Hennessy Lad had put behind him any concerns surrounding his staying ability and prospects of stepping up in grade.
“That was the query, even though he didn’t get out last start and it looked like he should have won the race, you never know until you stretch them out and today, he’s done it beautifully,” Dalziel said.
“Obviously he runs 1800 nicely, and it looks like he’ll get over 2000, 24.
“So maybe a nicer race down the track beckons.”
Jockey Carleen Hefel was almost content with a second-place finish as the field turned for home.
“I saw I had a bit to do, and I did think at one stage I was going to run a nice second, but then he went through his gears and I knew he was going to get there,” Hefel said.
Racing returns to Sandown this Saturday 11 February for a high-quality card of racing.
Highlighting the program will be the Group-1 CF Orr Stakes, with three Group-2 and Group-3 races providing a stellar support cast.
Preludes for the Blue Diamond Stakes will be run, while the group-2 Rubiton Stakes (1100m) will attract a high-class field of sprinters.
