3 minute read

Trainer Glenn Stevenson has been telling anyone who would listen that Ubriaco was a good horse waiting to happen and on Sunday in Devonport the gelding delivered the goods in the Goodstone Group Maiden over 1350m.

In Brief

• Ubriaco delivers at start three.
• Four-year-old lives up to trainer's expectations.
• Future looks bright for son of Unencumbered.

Ubriaco, having only his third start, drifted in betting ($9 to $13), but with stable apprentice Codi Jordan aboard the gelding delivered his best to win comfortably from Gee Gee Cloudy Bay ($8.50) and French Kiss ($20).

Stevenson often expressed how much ability the gelded son of Unencumbered possesses but extracting that ability on race days had been difficult.

"Until today he had been little more than a horse with loads of potential, but today he has finally produced the goods," Stevenson said.

"His work on the training track has been really good but even then, he has still done things wrong."

Jordan said she had to be very attentive during the race.

"Believe it or not he started to jump the shadows cast from the light poles around the track, but in the home straight where he needed to be good, he was and, in the end, he won comfortably," Jordan said.

Ubriaco settled midfield and was three-wide without cover to the home turn but was always travelling well.

The race was up for grabs 200m out with The Beekeeper ($4) battling it out with race leader Soulita ($16) and a wall of horses running on, but it was Ubriaco that emerged from the pack to forge clear and win by over a length.

The heavily back favourite Broadway Babe ($12 into $3.40) missed the start and settled a clear last and while the Star Witness mare made up good ground to be a chance turning for home, she was unable to sustain the run and finished second-last but less than four lengths from the winner.