Horse to Follow - Mr Incredible, Brett Crawford
Brett Crawford may have found a Classic Series prospect for next season after Mr Incredible returned to winning ways and stamped himself as a smart performer on the FWD Champions Day undercard.
The three-year-old showed above-average ability on debut when winning by a length and a quarter, but at his last start could only manage a close-up sixth second-up in a run Crawford described as unlucky. He quickly put that behind him on Sunday, with the Toronado gelding putting close to four lengths on his rivals after absorbing a hot tempo from an on-pace position.
“We were confident today of a really big run and I think he’s a horse that is just going to keep improving,” Crawford said. “From the day he arrived, he’s shown me that he’s a really smart horse.
“Obviously, that would be the long-term goal, the Classic Mile. It would be nice if I could give him one more run this season and then put him away, let him mature.”
Ride of the Day - Joao Moreira, Mighty Commander
On a day when the inside did not look the place to be, Joao Moreira made a rails run count aboard Mighty Commander, threading his way through to win a 1400meter Class 3.
Settling closer to last than first in 10th from barrier 4, Mighty Commander traveled sweetly for Moreira off a solid tempo in a strung-out field, with runners fanning three and four wide around the turn. Moreira snuck up the inside from the 450m mark and found himself going stride for stride with James McDonald and Helene Supafeeling inside the final 100m, getting the better of that rival by half a length with more in hand.
It was Mighty Commander’s first time finishing in the placings, let alone winning, at Sha Tin after six attempts. Trainer Caspar Fownes was not fazed by the statistic post-race, saying: “The last time he ran 1400m here, if you look at the replay, he was very unlucky. He really was.
“We’ve been keeping him fresh, he’s been racing very well all season, and now it’s time to pick up his distance. Great ride. Great result.”
Training Performance of the Day - Mark Newnham, My Wish
Mark Newnham’s handling of My Wish this campaign echoed the preparation that carried Invincible Ibis to Derby success, with the trainer once again peaking his horse on the right day as My Wish won the Group 1 Champions Mile.
My Wish began the season with a pair of Group wins and, while he did not feature in his next five starts, he was around the mark. It was his lead-up run, however, when he was ridden more patiently before showing his customary sprint that signaled to Newnham and jockey Hugh Bowman that his best asset on the big day would be his finishing burst.
“We were fairly confident in the horse, as much as you can be going into a Group 1 race, but his work here last Saturday morning was exceptional,” Newnham said.
“I was sitting in the grandstand and he came flying by. Hugh is a man of few words generally once he has galloped them, but you could tell in his voice that was as good as the horse could go. We knew then, if things worked out during the race, his turn of foot would be superior.”
𝗗𝗼𝘄𝗻𝗹𝗼𝗮𝗱 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗔𝗽𝗽 ↓
