Warwick Farm trainer Jarrod Austin has just a small team in work at Warwick Farm but he was able to unleash a smart rising three-year-old Urquidez to take the $85,000, Nissan Micra Sprint (1100m) for colts and geldings on his home track on Saturday.
The race was billed as a Rosebud Qualifier, however Urquidez is not nominated for the $1m, Group 1 Golden Rose (1400m) on September 14th at Rosehill, but the Street Sense colt has sufficient talent to race in alternative early spring black type races, a plan Austin said he has for him.
Urquidez and Nathan Berry clear of the field, picture sportpix.com.au
Urquidez (55.5kg), under Nathan Berry, was slow away from barrier 11 and settled third last while first Le Cap and Corey Brown and then Court The Cat and Christian Reith took the field through to the turn for the main straight.
Berry was content to race behind the field and with 600m to run he was second last, and rounding the turn he had no qualms about going wide, very wide, to gain running room.
With 200m to run Destiny Rising and Jay Ford were contesting the lead with Le Cap, but that was only as long as it took Berry and Urquidez to reach them racing wide out on the track. That happened with 100m to run and the race was over with Urquidez showing a fine turn of foot to put 2 1/2L on the field at the line.
Destiny Rising (56.5kg) (God’s Own) and Ford were second with $2.60 favourite Turnley (57.5kg) (Olympus) and Peter Robl third with the margin 1/2L.
The time was 1.04.99 on the Slow 6 track with the final 600m in 35.10. Urquidez paid $8.80 on NSW TAB.
“I could definitely get used to coming over here to be interviewed,” said Austin.
“He is a nice horse. We have always had a pretty good opinion of him but it was still very pleasing to see him come in and do it today.
“We will give him another couple of runs this time in and we have always thought he would make a better autumn three-year-old. His coat can still improve and there is still plenty of improvement in him.
“There are a few races coming up in the next couple of weeks and perhaps we might look at something like the Up & Coming Stakes,” he said.
Urquidez had one previous run at Rosehill on February 11th but Austin said that the colt was shin sore after the race and that he had ‘put a line through that run’.
“He is a big raw bugger and his coat has a lot of improvement in him. It was such a huge run and while I could have been a bit closer I just grabbed hold of him and got on the back of Tom (Berry on Crown Of Dreams) around the turn,” said Berry.
“For about 100m I really wanted to go for him but Tom was going too slow for me so I just kept him in there and rode him patiently. He has a very good finish,” he said.
Berry said that he considered that Urquidez had the class for a Golden Rose and should Austin and connections change their mind the late entry fee for the Golden Rose is $50,000. The $125,000, Group 3 Up & Coming Stakes (1300m) is at Warwick Farm on August 25th.
Urquidez, picture sportpix.com.au
Urquidez, out of the Giant’s Causeway mare Spiral Starway, was bred and is raced by Denise Martin under her Balthasar Pty Ltd Syndicate and it was the second winner for her and Austin on the programme after Spinnawitch won the feature listed Share Care Winter Challenge (1600m).
Saturday’s win was worth a stake of $48,750 plus a BOBS bonus of $20,000.
Picture ATC