Group 1 winning three-year-old Soho Spectre is likely to join the exodus of horses heading north for the Brisbane winter carnival after taking out the $150,000 APG Vic Gold Bullion (3YO Colts & Geldings).
Sent out a $1.85 favorite, Soho Spectre was forced to extend to find the lead from a wide front row draw and driver Rickie Alchin was allowed to give his charge a 30.8 second quarter ‘breather’ before reeling off a 26.5 last 400 metres.
Alchin said Soho Spectre made full use of the front row draw.
“Barrier draws are everything and it’s good to come down here and get the chocolates,” Alchin said.
“He’s very smart and once he was left along in front I was quite confident, Ravishing Sloy on my back was a little bit of a worry but there wasn’t a lot of pressure on in that third quarter and he managed to hold on,” he said.
Alchin believes the son of Art Major has proven himself this season.
“He’s drawn bad a lot of the times in finals and he was fortunate enough to draw well tonight.” he said.
“Look he’s a very fast horse and he’s won a Derby and now won this and hasn’t got a lot left to prove.”
Alchin indicated a trip to Queensland next month is a possibility.
“I wouldn’t mind getting him into the Rising Sun alongside Lux Aeterna,” he said.
The Emma Stewart trained filly Perpetuity scored the biggest win of her career when she took out the $150,000 APG Vic Gold Bullion (3YO Fillies) at Melton.
Perpetuity booted through at the start to hold the back of the leader Libby Lou from her inside second row draw and driver Mark Pitt patiently awaited his chance along the sprint lane in the home straight.
Libby Lou ($2 fav) turned the race into a staying test as she ran through the first half of the last mile in 57.5 seconds however it left her vulnerable to the finishing burst of Perpetuity who charged through along the sprint lane to score by a meter and half in a mile rate of 1:52.9.
Pitt conceded the barrier draw played an integral role in the win.
“It was great, the draw worked out perfectly and she didn’t have to do any sort of work in the run and we just had to hold our position,” Pitt said.
“It was a genuine tempo so it put us right into the race,” he said.
The daughter of American Ideal was bred at leading nursery Benstud Standardbreds and is part owned by the entity’s principal Peter Judd.
