3 minute read
Trainer and jockey quotes following the TAC Vobis Gold Bullion taken out by The Astrologist at Pakenham on Saturday.
Race Result:
1st: The Astrologist (C Williams/L & T Corstens) - $2.45F
2nd: Wild Vixen (B Melham/L Kavanagh) - $8
3rd: Galaxy Raider (N Rawiller/G Begg) - $8
Winning Time: 1:25.26 Last 600m: N/A
Margins: Short ½ Head x 1¾L
"And to his jockey, well his wife actually." @CWilliamsJockey loves the VOBIS Gold scheme but he may not get all of the prize money. pic.twitter.com/g6AdgzJAlp
— Racing.com (@Racing) December 5, 2020
Winning Trainer: Leon & Troy Corstens (Dom Sutton interviewed)
Was leading the plan: "100%. After Ballarat we were pretty disappointed with the outcome and that day the track was playing very much to the leaders. Today we were going to be positive from the barriers and take luck into our own hands.
Any queries over 1400m: "We've always thought that he'd get trip and Craig came back after Ballarat and said that he's looking for 1400 now and that obviously worked out. At one point I thought he was going to get rolled but he looked like he was (maybe) idling and wanting a bit of company in front.
"He was tough and I think he'll take a lot of benefit out of that. We've always had the Magic Millions in mind as the end goal and there's always that little bit up his sleeve. He'll take plenty of improvement out of that."
"It's always great to get a winner for Bennett Racing. They're always big supporters of the stable. Well done to them."
Winning Jockey: Craig Williams
"I thought he was really good. He had to make the running. You can feel the gusty wind. He was just confident. After riding him last time I thought we'd give him every chance and trust him a little bit. We found that he's not quite push-button, he's not quite bombproof.
"Stepping up to 1400 metres and a couple of slight gear changes, in a dominant role today, he's still not as smooth when I first asked him to go but I think whatever he does this preparation and next preparation will be really good after this experience.
"I thought we fought off a good warhorse (Iconoclasm) outside of me and then Ben Melham (Wild Vixen) seemed to time his run to perfection and we both lunged at the same time like in a running race.
"I asked Ben if he knew (who won) and he said 'no, it's pretty close'. The only thing that gave me confidence was that I thought after the line that I was back in front and when they showed the replay I was still unsure until they showed the replay and I didn't want the cameraman to get it wrong. It was a really good hard-fought race.
"Congratulations to Corstens stable and Nathan Bennett from Bennett Racing. They've done a really good job with him. He's also a Magic Millions horse so it'll be interesting to see what target they go with him now."
