3 minute read
Trainer and jockey quotes after Independent Road takes out the Living Legends Benchmark 70 3&4YO Handicap at Flemington on Saturday.
Race Result:
1st: Independent Road (J McNeil/T Dabernig & B Hayes) - $6.50
2nd: Hasseltoff (D Lane/R Griffiths & M de Kock) - $5.50
3rd: Highland Jakk (L Riordan/R Hickmott) - $10
Winning Time: 1:44.06 Last 600m: 33.77
Margins: Nose x 2L
Independent Road gets the bob! pic.twitter.com/7EV25HnpWv
— Racing.com (@Racing) December 12, 2020
Winning Trainer: Tom Dabernig & Ben Hayes (Ben speaking)
Flemington 1700m seems sweet spot: "He's got a really good record here at Flemington. If you go back through his form he's never run a bad race here and particularly third-up he's run his best races. He did a good job today. He jumped well from the gates, put himself in a good position. Jye cuddled him for as long as he could. I think we were very lucky to get the bob. It could of gone either way and fortunately racing luck is on our side this time."
Future: "There's a nice race here on New Year's Day over the same distance. If he comes through it well we'll have a look towards that race."
Winning Jockey: Jye McNeil
In early stages of race: "As we talk about with horses in blinkers for the first time, you have to be careful when you want to go forward. He's not slow to begin from the barriers. He jumped fantastic, there was good speed from out wide and I couldn't be more impressed with the way the race unfolded. It was perfectly scripted as planned and he was very tough over the final stages."
Thoughts on finishing line: "Being such a small margin it is very hard but I knew I was fighting back. I was definitely not confident that I had won the race, obviously a bob of the head, but thankfully it went our way."
Robbie Griffiths on Hasselhoff: "Our jockey (Damian Lane) said we won the race, but we lost the photo. Watching the race I thought we had won. Damian was in front and I went the early crow. Unfortunately the photo showed we had been beaten."
