A return to Wyong for next year’s Provincial Championship qualifier is on the cards for the Scott Singleton trained Poet’s Advocate ($14.50) after his convincing win in the inaugural $50,000 Hudson Homes Wyong Town Plate.
The Poet’s Voice gelding was a pick-up ride for Jay Ford, with the victory giving him a double on the day.
The four-year-old led throughout and then battled down the straight with second place getter Francesco ($5.60) but was able to hold him off to score a narrow victory.
The Kylie Gavenlock trained favourite Invincible George ($3.90) was three quarters of a length behind in third.
It brought up back to back wins for Poet’s Advocate who was coming off a last start victory at Hawkesbury.
Singleton now plans to target the Provincial Championship and will consider the Wyong qualifier.
“The horse is going really well. We had a couple of little hiccups after the last win and he ended up in the paddock for four or five days,” Singleton said.
“I had him in at Orange yesterday but decided to come here because I wanted to see if he was up to those Provincial Championship heats. If he was going to go there he would probably have to beat those today.
“We will give him a short break now and bring him back and make sure we have him ripped right up for those heats.”
Singleton said the horse’s biggest strength is his tactical speed.
“He led very easily today and it worked out well. I brought him at the Classic sale as a yearling and got a couple of stable clients into him. He’s a lovely sound horse.”
Poet’s Advocate was a $14,000 purchase and with his latest win his prizemoney has now exceeds $125,00.
Ford said he hadn’t ridden Poet’s Advocate before but conceded the horse was in good form.
“Scotty has him going really good at the moment. He gave me a good insight to him. He’s a free bowling horse, only little but a tough customer.
“When challenged he responded gamely and if anything when challenged he was holding the second horse at bay.”
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Jeff Englbrecht carried the flag for the locals with his tough mare The Iron Maiden ($18.50) bringing up her fourth career win to take out the MDA BUILT/DIVERSE BUILDING BM 65 over 1600m.
The eight-year-old, a renowned wet tracker, upset some of the more fancied runners to score a length victory with Grant Buckley in the saddle.
The win took her prizemoney to almost $180,000 in prizemoney.
“She just keeps going and the race played into her hands today with a slow 600m,” Englebrecht said.
“She’s a good worker and a good eater but I don’t gallop her that much because she runs on too hard.
“She does prefer plenty of give in the ground but she’s fighting fit and got the money today.”
Buckley was full of praise for the Wyong based trainer.
“I’ve never ridden for a trainer who can keep a horse up and going for so long,” he said.
“Jeff does a fantastic job and he deserves more horses to train.
“This win today is another feather in his cap.”
The Iron Maiden came from behind in the straight to beat the Marc Connors trained Maddison Avenue ($5.20), with the Waller trained Korodon ($7.25) a short neck behind in third.
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Short priced favourite Seine Net ($1.40) greeted the judge in the 2100m GO TRAIN INDUSTRY CLASS 1 & MAIDEN PLATE with the Godolphin galloper controlling the race from start to finish.
The victory brought up a race to race double for Brenton Avdulla.
A three-year-old Street Cry filly, Seine Net was having her seventh career start, with a previous win and two placings to her name.
It was her first attempt at the 2100m and while racing greenly around the turn, she appeared comfortable with the longer distance.
She responded well to the urgings of jockey Brenton Avdulla in the final stages of the straight, going on to score a length victory over Allan Kehoe’s I Am Baymax ($26), with Merican ($5.50), trained by Richard Freedman more than three lengths behind in third.
Stable foreman Nacim Dilmi said he expected trainer James Cummings would keep the filly around the same distance and class for her next run.
“She looked like she was going to win by a good margin but around the turn she showed she still doesn’t know what it’s all about,” Dilmi said.
“She is still very green and has a lot to learn.
“This is a stepping stone for her and I’m sure James will find a nice race for her. He probably won’t step her up to a higher grade but will keep her at that level until she can learn a bit more.”
Avdulla said he liked the filly but agreed she was very “immature mentally.”
“The first time I trialled her she did a bit wrong under me and even now with a few runs under her she’s still nowhere near 100 percent screwed down in knowing what she’s doing.
“She will gain a lot of confidence out of that win today and I’m sure next time in she can get up to this distance again.”
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Brenton Avdulla brought up consecutive wins with a grinding win over the 1600m on the John O’Shea trained Teahupo’o.
Starting at $3.30 the High Chaparral gelding looked under pressure on the turn but courtesy of a strong ride by Avdulla, drew away for a length victory in the POTTERS FLOORING METRO & PROV MAIDEN PLATE.
Teahupo’o was having only his second career start coming off a fourth at Kembla over 1400m on December 2.
Avdulla said he considered the gelding had the makings of a nice staying horse.
“I didn’t mind his trial when I trialled him and I didn’t think he’d go to the races and win or anything but I was happy with his effort the other day and coming here today I was always quietly confident that over the mile he would race well,” Avdulla said.
“I like him. He still did a bit wrong today but I think John has a nice staying prospect.
“He was pretty cruisy all the way around. I didn’t want to put him under full pressure around the corner, I thought he might lose his way. I waited until we straightened up, got him to the outside and he finished off the race.
“I’m sure with blinkers and with a bit of time you’ll see a horse who is going to get a mile and a quarter or plus and probably win some races in town.”
Teahupo’o scored a half-length win over the Tim Martin trained Royal Patriot ($4.20), with the outsider of the race, Jay Hopkins Havazac ($61) a long neck behind in third.
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Corey Brown was full of praise for Choice Harvest ($2.30) after he led all the way to take out the WYONG EQUINE CLINIC MAIDEN PLATE over 1350m.
The three-year-old by Choisir brought up his first win and his seventh career start, having been placed on three other occasions.
Brown jumped the favourite Choice Harvest to the front and dictated terms, scoring a one and a quarter length victory.
He said he considers Choice Harvest to be a city horse.
“He’s a nice horse. This is the first time I’ve been on him. He’s definitely got lots of upside. He’s still not there mentally and is still a bit of a baby, doing the little things wrong,” Brown said.
“Once he works those little things out he’ll develop into a nice horse. He’s definitely a city class horse the way he won today.”
Brown said he felt Choice Harvest could be suited up around the 1500m around Canterbury or even over a mile later in his career.
“He just showed good ability today.”
Trainer Joe Pride agreed Choice Harvest was a really nice horse and deserved the win.
“He needed to do that today. He won with a bit of dominance which we like to see. He relaxed really well today and I think that is the difference between last start and today, “ Pride said.
“The form around him is really strong. He was a bit immature as a colt but he’s gelded now and ready to go on with it.
“He’ll get better as he gets older but I think he will progress to Metropolitan class and possibly a bit better.”
The Hawkes trained We Love Rugby ($12) was second, with Art Of More ($13), trained by Anthony and Edward Cummings, a long neck behind in third.
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A promising debut by Cyber Intervention ($4.60) gave Joe Pride a race to race double after the You Think gelding took out the 1200m GUARDIAN PARTNERS MAIDEN in a close finish.
The three-year-old came home over the top of his opposition in the final stages of the straight to score a short neck victory over the Bjorn Baker trained Zabeel’s Choice ($3.40), with The Patrician ($12), a neck behind in third.
Pride conceded he had come to the races uncertain of how the horse would perform, despite an impressive trial at Warwick Farm on December 5.
“He’s probably one of the most immature horses in my stable and I just thought I’d bring him to the races once. I had the connections geared up to expect the unexpected,” Pride said.
“We know he had the ability to win but he could also have done everything wrong and run last. I wouldn’t have been disappointed in the horse because I know what he can do.
“It was really good to see him put it together straight away. He will go to the paddock now and I think as he gets older he will just get better.”
Winning jockey Jay Ford also considers Cyber Intervention has a “very promising future.”
“He’s a really nice horse. Very immature mentally but physically he’s a horse. His trials have been nice just teaching him to relax.
“Obviously he’s a horse that is only going to get better as he gets over further.
“He drew barrier one first time out at the races and the rail to follow all the way around and got a nice split.
“What I liked was that he found the line really nice knowing that in six to 12 months we are going to have a really nice horse.”
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An impressive return by the Waterhouse Bott trained Montreal ($1.28) to take out the OPENSHORE PTY LTD CLASS 1 HANDICAP (1000 METRES) by almost five lengths.
The Lonhro gelding, raced by Evergreen Rich which is managed by Adrian Bott’s father Tony, has been sidelined for more than 12 months following surgery from a chipped bone.
He had a winning trial over 740m on November 28 before bringing up his second career win at Wyong, with Adam Hyeronimous in the saddle.
Stable representative Neil Paine said there was always a question mark when horses resumed from a long spell but Montreal put paid to any doubts with his dominant win.
“That’s how you want to see them win. Adam just let him roll along, clicked him up at the 500m when he extended, give him a whack on the tail at the 100m and he extended again,” Paine said.
“After 12 months off there is always a question mark there and you want to see how they do run.
“Gai and Adrian were confident enough to send him here after one trial and say he’d be very hard to beat.
“It’s a credit to the stable. We are having a great run, Adrian part owns the horse so it’s great for everyone involved. “
Paine said the stable will monitor Montreal and see how he goes but he would more than likely be heading to a midweek Metropolitan meeting.
Hyeronimus said it was like a second trial for the four-year-old.
“He trialled very good the other day, it was pretty much a second trial today and he picked up $16,000.
“He’s got a very good attitude and nothing’s a bother for him. He’s pretty push button just jumps and gets the job done.”
Montreal beat the Hawkes trained Yeas And Nays ($10), with the outsider of the field, John Farleigh’s Silent Image ($41), a neck behind in third.
