The rise and rise of Hawkesbury-trained Exosphere gelding Phearson continued last Saturday with victory in the $250,000 Group 3 Festival Stakes (1500m) at Randwick.
Jockey Tom Sherry had no hesitation in sending the Brad Widdup-trained six-year-old straight to the front and there he stayed, Phearson ($17) holding on in a desperately tight finish to win by a half-head from the unlucky Williamsburg with $4.40 favourite Rustic Steel three-quarters of a length away in third place.
“I was confident today and Brad was beforehand,” Sherry said.
“We found the front, got the cheap sectional mid-race and it really paid dividends late in the piece.
“It panned out just as we planned. We hit the front and I was in a really nice rhythm. I upped the tempo from the 600 metres and because I had the experience of riding him last start, I was confident that he’d keep giving.”
Phearson started his career with Canberra-based Matthew Dale, for whom he notched three placings from three starts.
After a break of 18 months he resumed with Widdup, for whom he now has five wins and five placings from 12 starts.
“He’s a horse that has always shown a hell of a lot of ability,” the trainer said.
“This prep it may have looked like he hadn’t been going well but he had and he just needed a bit of luck.
“It was a terrific ride today. He did the work and it was terrific.”
Phearson’s win completed a Hawkesbury-trained double for Sherry, who earlier won the benchmark 72 Midway Handicap (2000m) on Philipsburg ($6) for James Ponsonby.
After settling his mount in third place, Sherry sent the six-year-old to the front at the 200-metre mark. Philipsburg then proved a half-length too strong for The Carpet Bagger, with the strong-finishing Apache Belle a neck away in third place.
From Nowra to Dubai?
Last Saturday’s 2000-metre Country Classic at Rosehill saw Nowra trainer Mike Cattell notch his first metro win in a thriller with Zegalo — then promptly announce plans to conquer the world.
Zegalo ($10), with two-kilo claimer Dylan Gibbons in the saddle, held off the well supported Eaglemont ($3.60), who charged home late, by just a short head, with Rematch a length away third.
Cattell, a builder by trade, only has two horses in work at present.
“This is big for our stable,” he said.
“This horse had a bowed tendon and we fixed him.
“This horse is in a different class to anything I’ve trained before. He’s a machine and I think he can take me around the world.
“It’s only a Country Classic, some people will say, but this horse needs two miles (3200m). What he did today was just on ability.
“He might have just earned his ticket to Dubai. The Dubai Gold Cup is over two miles on the turf.
“It’s only a Group 2, so you avoid all the best of the best in the world. It’s worth a million US ($A1.5m) and they pay all your bills so it’s a free holiday.
“They’re looking for stayers for the Gold Cup from all over the world. They reached out last Saturday and said, ‘Well, if he wins on Saturday, we’ll write you an invitation.’”
Cattell will now set Zegalo for the Bagot Handicap (2800m) at Flemington on New Year’s Day.
Robb finds key to Wilbury
Dubbo emerged with bragging rights from last Saturday’s edition of the TAB Highway Handicap series, a Class 2 sprint over 1100 metres, thanks to a Brett Robb-trained quinella.
Jockey Clayton Gallagher drove Wilbury ($15) to the front inside the final 200 metres, then held off the well backed stablemate Gallant Star ($5), who flew home late, to score by a half-neck with King Rupert, another strong finisher, just a head away in third place.
“You can never be confident at any time in this game but we were going to the races with a horse that was in form and a jockey that knows him really well,” said part-owner and racecaller Anthony Manton.
“Brett has completely turned him around. We’ve had a bit of luck with Brett in the past so we sent him there and he’s a completely different horse. Brett has found the key to him.”
Wilbury, originally trained by Anthony and Sam Freedman then by Mitch Beer, has had four starts with Robb for a second and three straight wins.
Tavi too good
Favourite backers had little cause for concern last Friday when the Kris Lees-trained odds-on pop Tavi Time took the Mudgee Cup (1600m) under Aaron Bullock.
The result was never in doubt, the winner racing away to record a 6½-length win over Belleistic Kids with Watadeel a half-length away in third place.
Bullock also rode the winner of the main supporting race, the 1200-metre Cup Day Sprint, aboard $2.60 favourite Seguso for Tamworth trainer Cody Morgan.
The winner scored by three-quarters of a length from Stay Safe, with a similar margin to third-placed Tim’s Principal.
Newcastle-based Lees was back in the winner’s circle the following day at Doomben, taking out the listed Tails Stakes (1600m) with imported miler Acquitted ($2.70 favourite), ridden by James Orman.
A coupla cups coming up
This Saturday sees the Riverina’s oldest town, Moulamein, hold its annual race meeting, highlighted by the running of the 1600-metre Moulamein Cup.
Further east on Sunday, the Shoalhaven Turf Club will stage its Showcase meeting, featuring the $65,000 Nowra Cup (1600m), a qualifier for the $3 million Big Dance of 2024.
“Racing at Nowra has gone from strength to strength since we moved our cup meeting to the summertime slot. Being a Big Dance qualifying race makes it even more appealing,” club CEO Paul Weekes told media.