3 minute read
Trainer and jockey quotes following the Group 1 Sportsbet Australasian Oaks won by Vibrant Sun at Morphettville on Saturday.
Race Result:
1st: Vibrant Sun (M Price & M Kent Jnr/M Zahra) - $6
2nd: Private Legacy (G Hickman/C Williams) - $18
3rd: Coco Sun (T & C McEvoy/J Kah) - $8.50
Winning Time: 2:04.33 Last 600m: 36.66
Margins: ½-head x head
Winning Trainer: Mick Price and Michael Kent Jnr (Kent Jnr speaking)
Initial thoughts on the filly: "We always liked her. She won her maiden by seven lengths and went to the Thousand Guineas.
"Third-up, 2000 metres, straight to the front, it was a huge win. She missed a run in the Auraria when she had a little setback, so it's a massive job by the whole team at home."
Had it served it to her: "She was there to be beaten. It was a huge effort. Awesome result for everybody."
Queensland: "We'll take stock and talk to everybody. She doesn't have to go anywhere now, she's a Group 1 winner. We'll work that out on Monday morning."
Winning Jockey: Mark Zahra
Gutsy this girl: "Really gutsy. I couldn't have her much slower in the run. I took my time getting there, but that's as steady as I could go, but she's got a high cruising speed. I dropped my rein halfway down the straight and I couldn't pick it up, it was too long.
"I just kept riding her along. It was a good gutsy win."
Tim Clark served it up from the top of the straight: "That's what you expect from the Waterhouse runners, but he's taking on trainers that have their horses pretty fit to."
Out on her feet: "Probably a little bit, which she was entitled to be."
Won't watch replay of dropped rein: "I've won a Caulfield Cup dropping the reins, so it still counts. It's not ideal, but I'm riding light today and a win is a win."
Beaten Jockeys:
Tim Clark (Pulchritudinous): "She went fantastic. She was only beaten a length and a half. She hadn't had a run for a while and made the different late."
Jake Noonan (Wings Of Song): "Great run. She just had to use her turn of foot to get to the front pack in what was probably a truely run race. Maybe a moderate sort of tempo would have suited her chances better but she tried very hard. "
Michael Dee (Positivity): "Unfortunately she was slowly away. We wanted to be forward in the run but were on the backfoot from the start. Otherwise she wasn't beaten too far.
John Allen (Serasana): "Disappointing. She had a good run but just hasn't fired today."
Damian Lane (Queen Of Dragons): "She travelled great and had a good run but didn't finish as well as she normally does"
Ms Carleen Hefel (Mollynickers): "She made good ground late but just had to get too far back from the gate. "
Jamie Kah (Coco Sun): "She loved the trip and even further is going to suit her down to the ground."
Billy Egan (Qali Al Farrasha): "She tried as hard as she could from that gate"
Blake Shinn (Quickster): "She ran super"
James McDonald (Concello): "She raced below par. Felt lethargic."
Craig Williams (Private Legacy): "Very game in defeat. It was a super run. We were trying to manage her first time under pressure going left handed today. If she turns and goes better this way she wins that margin. Great run.
Alana Kelly (Into You): "She was just a bit unlucky in transit but was really good to the line."
Beau Mertens (The Autumn Belle): "Good run. Wide barrier and had to go back. She picked her way through and ran a good race."
Daniel Stackhouse (Bon Mistress): "Nice run. I thought she was going to run fourth the whole way up the straight, but she probably finds the 2000 metres all she needs, but a good run."
Chad Schofield (Infinity Imperial): "A filly who will be better in more time"