3 minute read

2YO has more wins to come

Luke Dittman said the well-tried favourite Release The Beans won despite himself in the opening event at Eagle Farm on Saturday.

Release The Beans was backed in to start a $2.70 favourite and prevailed by a narrow margin to beat Sydney raider Allusionist ($3.30).

Dittman was a late replacement for the indisposed Ryan Maloney, who withdrew from his commitments early Saturday morning.

Release The Beans settled closer to the speed than his rider expected, then peeled out for a ding-dong battle with Allusionist and third placed Prince Bojack down the straight.

"He's massively still a kid," Dittman told connections after dismounting. "I shot to the front and I thought it should win by two and he just labored. He came again when they came to him."

Dittman thinks there's more in the tank than what was on display yesterday.

"He's only going to get better from that. He can obviously gallop. He just needs switch on and be a racehorse," he said.

"He travelled lovely for me. He was very mature the first 600m but as soon as I (let him go), it was like 'what do I do?' Luckily he stuck his head out at the right time."

Shooting For Gold once had a reputation for being a work in progress as well, but he's starting to shed that tag after making it two from two this preparation in the Class 6 Handicap.

The three-year-old was again ridden with patience by Baylee Nothdurft, even after Je Suis Belle snuck away from the field at the 300m point.

Nothdurft simply allowed Shooting For Gold to go through his gears and when he hit top straight, he put the race away very quickly, running away to win by more than two lengths.

Shooting For Gold has now won six of his 10 starts, with earnings approaching $300,000.