3 minute read
A snapshot of the races run at Randwick on Saturday.
Gibbons' star continues to shine
Apprentice Dylan Gibbons continues to make waves in the metropolitan arena, backing up a winning treble at Canterbury on Wednesday with a deft frontrunning in the opening race at Randwick.
The young gun took the initiative to lead aboard the James Ponsonby-trained Socrates in Saturday's Highway Handicap (1800m) and the gelding never looked in serious danger, cruising through the heavy 10 conditions to score by 2-1/2 lengths over King Of Spades.
Indentured to Kris Lees at Newcastle, Gibbons has been doing a remarkable job to make his mark during the spring carnival period and fully utilise his two-kilo claim on the recent spate of rain-affected tracks.
"I'm just a real wet tracker at the minute and things are going great," Gibbons said.
"My manager (Luke Hilton) is doing a great job, he's getting me the rides I need and a lot of credit goes to him.
"He does a lot of work behind the scenes, I put a lot of trust in him and I'm rewarding him with the winners on the track so it's a team effort.
"I'm loving it, every bit of it."
Socrates was coming off a last-start 2100-metre win at Tuncurry, which held him in good stead to handle the testing ground on Saturday.
Ponsonby plans to aim the horse at the Country Classic (2000m) at Rosehill on November 26 and said he had already proven an astute buy.
"We only paid $19,000 for him online and he has won about $90,000 for us with two wins," Ponsonby said.
"Obviously, he is going to win again somewhere, and there is another lovely race for him in two weeks."
Sky Command lands valuable Nivison win
Sky Command has become the third stakes winner in the past eight days for trainers Gerald Ryan and Sterling Alexio and in the process has buried doubts about her running out a strong 1200 metres.
The Rosehill trainers celebrated a feature race double at Randwick last weekend with Ellsberg dead-heating for first in the Epsom Handicap and Williamsburg claiming the Dulcify Quality.
Sky Command had her turn on Saturday, scooting through the waterlogged conditions to take out the Group 3 The Nivison (1200m).
It was her first victory beyond 1100m and her maiden win at black-type level, providing an important boost to her residual value for owners the Vieira family.
"No doubt they'll get a big thrill out of it," Alexiou said of Sky Command's owners.
"She's a mare that's always showed stakes ability, so it's good to see her put her hand up today and put a bit of black type next to her name."
When anticipated leader Expat was tardy to jump, Regan Bayliss took Sky Command ($9) to the front and she dictated throughout to score by 1-3/4 lengths over Never Talk ($7) with Heresy ($7) another head away third.
Montefilia to press on to Caulfield Cup
David Payne confirmed top mare Montefilia would leave for Melbourne on Tuesday and would take her place in next Saturday's Caulfield Cup (2400m).
There was some doubt over spring plans for the multiple Group 1 winner after she finished a well-beaten third to Cascadian as a short-priced favourite in the Hill Stakes (2000m) on October 1, however, Payne believed she simply didn't handle the heavy 8 conditions.
He reported Montefilia had done well since and was confident she could bounce back to her best on a firmer surface at Caulfield.
"She's fine. It was just the conditions, she doesn't handle them," Payne said.
"I'm not worried about that run.
"It was a bias track and it was too wet."
Regular rider Jason Collett will make the trip south to partner Montefilia in the Group 1.
Payne was in the winner's stall at Randwick on Saturday when Navajo Peak scored a tough win in the Cerrone Handicap (2000m) to make it two victories from his past three starts.
Quote of the day: "He nearly fell over the whole way around. He struggled through the ground." – Jockey Brenton Avdulla summed up the mood of the day with his comments on Badge after the horse finished second last and almost 75 lengths from winner Opal Ridge in the Tapp-Craig (1400m) at Randwick.
