Catch A Wave produced something special to defeat superstar rival Captain Ravishing in Saturday night’s Chariots of Fire.
Emma Stewart’s speed machine was thought by many to be just about unbeatable in the Group 1 classic for four-year-olds, but his fellow Victorian proved simply too good on the big stage at Menangle.
Catch A Wave sat parked for the majority of the 1609m dash, and despite looking beaten rounding the home turn, was able to knuckle down and reel in the red-hot $1.15 favourite inside the last 50m for a truly memorable victory.
“Richard Matthews, he’d waited his whole life to get a horse like this. He’d spent so much money and (put so much) time into the sport for years, and unfortunately he passed away a few months ago,” driver Kate Gath said.
“Obviously Captain Ravishing didn’t go his best, but this horse was super and it’s just a shame Richard wasn’t here to see it.
“It’s still great all the same.”
Gath pressed forward from barrier six and tested Captain Ravishing in the early stages of Saturday night’s race, but was forced to sit outside him when the punters’ pick kicked up and held a comfortable advantage.
And it looked as though the sport’s spruik horse was going to streak away for a dominant success when he broke clear of Catch A Wave approaching the turn, but the big bay gelding showed great courage to fight back and defeat his rival. In the end, Catch A Wave won by 2.6m in a mile rate of 1:49.1, with Cantfindabettorman third.
“Into the straight I was still travelling, but you still think Captain Ravishing is going to find a gear,” Gath said.
“He was sort of asking him around the last corner, Mark Pitt was, and I thought it would get going once I got outside of it, but it just didn’t.
“In the run, if it wasn’t Captain Ravishing I would have thought I had a great hope at the top of the straight, but to burn off the arm as well is just a super effort.”
Saturday night’s Chariots of Fire wasn’t run until close to 11pm after wild weather caused a significant delay to the start of the meeting.
Catch A Wave, who is trained by Gath’s husband Andy, has now secured a spot in March 4’s $1million Miracle Mile.