3 minute read
Trainer and jockey quotes following Passive Aggressive winning the Group 2 Hyland Race Colours Challenge Stakes at Randwick on Saturday.
Race Result:
1st: Passive Aggressive (G Begg/J Childs) - $7.50
2nd: Zapateo (J Cummings/K McEvoy) - $20
3rd: Aft Cabin (J Cummings/J McDonald) - $6
Winning Time: 56.61 Last 600m: 32.78
Margins: ¾L x Short Head
Passive Aggressive makes it back-to-back G2 Challenge Stakes - first-up since May 2023 - for @Grahame_Begg and @JChilds47!@aus_turf_club pic.twitter.com/HxqvukKtrS
— SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) March 9, 2024
Winning Trainer: Grahame Begg (stable rep Jack Lake speaking)
Exciting to have her back: "Absolutely. Since day one she's always been a class horse. It was disappointing when she had to be retired and when she couldn't get in foal and she came back into work, she's just been terrific since she's come back in. After having almost a year off we probably thought she could have been very vulnerable late but she was very gallant to the line. So it was very impressive."
Seen the same Passive Aggressive since return?: "Absolutely. She's a bit of a cranky mare at times, so the fitter she gets, the more wound up she gets and becomes more of a bit of a typical mare, sort of thing. But we're just rapt to have her back and I don't think she could have been any more impressive there."
This race had been long range plan: "Absolutely. Especially from when she came back in. She travelled up here last year and won this race, you follow history it seems to be a good guide."
Winning Jockey: Jordan Childs
Flew fresh: "She did. It's a bit different to last year, we went a bit conservative today. It wasn't originally the plan but she just didn't begin as well as what she usually could so I went to Plan B and just took her nice and quiet. When I was travelling into the straight she gave me a really unreal feel once I pressed that button. She was just too good for them."
Improvement from last year to this year in Passive Aggressive: "Obviously she tried to go to stud and that didn't work out so that's why she had such an extended break. But I think it's probably done her the world of good as well because she's been able to mature. She's strengthened up a lot and she has come back a proper horse this time in, so I'm very looking forward to what the future holds."
TJ Smith Stakes?: "Yeah, I think so. Wherever the boss wants to take her, I'll leave that up to him."
Beaten Jockeys:
Nash Rawiller (Private Eye): "He will come through that well. His wheels just seemed to spin the whole way. Never really felt like he got it all the way up to where he normally is at the end of an Everest or one of those big races until the last 50/100m. He was fine."
Jason Collett (Mazu): "Great return. Had to work outside lead. Stuck on well in the straight. Very good."
Tommy Berry (Remarque): "He has never been a comfortable horse on the rail and we saw that first up last prep. He was there to pounce but he is just too big to be inside of horses."
James McDonald (Aft Cabin): "He is flying the horse. He is on track."
Kerrin McEvoy (Zapateo): "Great run by her. She got in front and there wasn't a lot of pressure. She kicked off the corner and gave a good account of herself."
Tyler Schiller (How's The Serenity): "I thought she was very brave. Probably just needs a step up in trip."
