The increased prize money for NSW reaped due rewards for the owners of Brave The Way and Randwick trainer Anthony Cummings in the $85,000 Moraitis Handicap Bm 89 (1900m) at Rosehill on Saturday.
Brave The Way was formerly trained in Queensland by Alan Bailey who has a share in the five-year-old, along with Ken McDonald, Arthur Harris and Andy Pippos and the decision was made to made to send Brave The Way to Cummings.
“There have been eight to ten so far and there are a few more to come and I am thankful the prizemoney has increased,” said Cummings.
“Kathy had ridden him before so I figured that was a safe enough bet. What a difference a barrier makes and it was just a pretty good result for the stable and I am happy about that," he said.
Brave The Way was starting for the second time for Cummings with the first an unplaced effort over 1800m at Rosehill on July 7th.
Cummings was not sure as to how Brave The Way would race this time, but he knew that the Falbrav gelding had received a lot of work since the Canterbury start.
“The first start was disappointing but his work since showed he was easily good enough to win this grade and that he is good enough to win grades above, but it was hard to assess from what had gone on in his last start,” he said.
“I think he is a nice horse. If he runs like that and he runs to his work he will win a much better race than this,” he summed up.
Brave The Way (54kg) certainly ran well enough from barrier one to back his trainer’s opinion with O’Hara having more trouble slowing him down for the right time to show a turn of foot.
Once O’Hara let Brave The Way go the race was over with over 200m to run and away they went to a 3L win easing down.
Kelinni (IRE) (54.5kg) (Refuse To Bend) and Glyn Schofield were second with ThebigIam (54kg) (Zariz) and Tommy Berry third, the margin 1 3/4L.
The time was 1.58.86 on the Slow 6 track with the final 600m in 36.19.Brave The Way paid $12.30 on NSW TAB.
Brave The Way is out of the Zabeel mare Belle Diamante and this was his seventh win from 33 starts. With 10 second placings he has earned stakes of $240,100.
Picture ATC