A couple of promising youngsters were unearthed in the two divisions of the Benstud Standardbreds Youthful Stakes.
The Russell Jack-prepared colt Usyk outclassed his rivals, leading all the way in the 2YO Colts & Geldings division as a heavily supported $1.55 favorite, returning a mile rate of 1:53.2.
Nathan Jack acknowledged the efforts of his uncle, David Jack, who prepared the son of Ultimate Sniper for his first seven starts.
“All credit must go to David, who did all the early work with him. This horse has come on in leaps and bounds working with other horses,” Jack said.
“He’s a nice horse, and it’s exciting to have him, that’s for sure,” he said.
The Gary and Debbie Quinlan-trained debutant Cyclone Jenni lived up to the raps surrounding her when she scored an impressive win in the 2YO Fillies division.
Driven by Chris Alford, the well-bred daughter of Captaintreacherous unleashed a powerful sprint for the final 500 metres of the race to score comfortably in a mile rate of 1:56.3.
“She was really good tonight, everything worked out pretty well,” Alford said.
“She lobbed in a really nice spot and didn’t have to go until a little earlier than I wanted. But when she hit the front she switched off a little. I gave her a little wake-up, and she powered up the straight really well.”
“She will get more versatile as she learns to race a bit more.”
