Warwick Farm’s programme on Saturday opened with a competitive two-year-old race with the David Payne trained Secret Delight making it two wins in succession when taking the $70,000, Australian Turf Club Plate (1000m).
Secret Delight and apprentice Blake Spriggs, picture Sportpix.com.au
The Encosta de Lago filly put in a strong performance under apprentice Blake Spriggs, also in good form and giving 1.5kg off 54kg, when she and three others chased down the leader Agulhas and Christian Reith.
Agulhas had led into the main straight and it took until the 75m mark for the chasers, Secret Delight who had sat outside the leader for the trip, Headless (54kg) and Corey Brown and Zin Zan Eddie (56kg) and Rod Quinn, to hunt her down.
Racing in the middle of the track Secret Delight had enough momentum to hold off Headless (Holy Roman Emperor) on the inside with Zin Zan Eddie (Zizou) third on the outside with Agulhas fourth on the rails.
The margins were a short half-head and a half neck. The time was 58.53 on the Slow 6 track with the 600m in 35.18. Secret Delight paid $5.10 on NSW TAB.
Secret Delight, picture Sportpix.com.au
Rosehill based Payne is holidaying in Italy and foreman Stuart Rankin said that the stable had the choice of the two juvenile races on the programme, the 1000m and 1300m, but that they had decided on the shorter version even though it meant coming back from the previous win over 1250m at Canterbury.
“She was entitled to have enough at the 100m but she has all the guts. She will be a nice filly once she gets up over 1400m and even 1600m,” said Spriggs.
The win was the eighth for Spriggs in Sydney this season and the 22nd for Payne.
Secret Delight, out of the Thunder Gulch mare Secret, was having her third start and after an unplaced opening race she has now earned stakes of $69,550 plus a BOBS bonus of $20,000 for Saturday’s win for owners Dynamic Syndications Racing Syndicate managed by Dean Watt, N Arnold, M Faria, N Fraser, J Keeley, N Loader, G Rassos, F Welk and Dynamic No 25 Syndicate.
Picture ATC