A biblical Red Seas scenario paved the way for Exotic Bushranger to score an unlikely win in the Sulky.APP Metropolitan Pace (first heat) at Melton on Saturday night.
The Michael Stanley-trained-and-driven pacer settled four back along the pegs from his inside second row draw and was shuffled back to last as the field rounded the home turn.
Both the leader Elusive and behind leader Swizzlestick wandered away from the pegs in the home straight, allowing Exotic Bushranger ($21) to access the sprint lane. The four-year-old charged through along the pegs to get up and score by two metres from the $151 rank outsider High Flux.
Stanley said the winner’s task was made tougher shortly after the start.
“He’s still got a lot to learn as he was a little bit awkward away and just wanted to get off the track at the start and we lost a spot,” Stanley said.
Stanley is suitably impressed by the winner.
“He’s a really progressive horse and I think he’s going to have a really good future,” he said.
Stanley concedes the racing gods smiled upon him in the home straight.
“Sometimes you need a bit of luck and both the leader and the one on his back went wide instead of inside, so we got the run through,” he said.
“But you need the horse to take the luck and we did tonight.”
Stanley is optimistic about the future of his stable.
“We’ve moved on a lot of older horses to Perth and we’ve got a really good bunch of up-and-coming stock, so it’s good that we are getting the results on the track,” he said.
