3 minute read
Trainer and jockey quotes following the Group 1 Kia Tancred Stakes won by Kalapour at Rosehill on Saturday.
Race Result:
1st: Kalapour (K Lees/D Gibbons) - $31
2nd: More Felons (C Waller/J McDonald) - $6
3rd: Ashrun (C Maher/J Collett) - $6
Winning Time: 2:28.91 Last 600m: 34.83
Margins: Long Head x 1½L
Kalapour kicks to win the G1 Tancred Stakes!@aus_turf_club @Leesracing @djgibbons22 pic.twitter.com/mraR2LcAaj
— SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) March 30, 2024
Winning Trainer: Kris Lees
On the decision to run in the Tancred: "At 8.30am on Wednesday I nearly was going to run him in the Neville Sellwood Stakes. I ummed and ahhed which way to go and it looked like it was falling away a little bit, this race, so we thought we'd give him his chance.
"I came here hoping he'd earn a nice cheque for connections, probably not that confident. But I'm really happy. "
Winning with apprentice Dylan Gibbons on board: "Super. He's a super kid. What you see is what you get. That's him, all the time. He's just a pleasure to have around. I know he's already won a Group 1 but he's got many more (to come). Finally we got one together, that's great."
Sydney Cup?: "He's in the Sydney Cup and obviously he won't get a penalty out of today so it's something to consider. But either way, it's a big thrill today."
Winning Jockey: Dylan Gibbons
On what it means to win a G1 with his boss, Kris Lees: "It meant a lot. If you asked me a longtime goal would have been to do something like this for Kris, because I go back through my whole career and every step and stage I made with his support and what he helped Dad plan for me, I know for a fact I'd be lost without it. So to give him one on the biggest stage, it means a hell of a lot."
How proud would father (jockey Andrew Gibbons) be?: "Very proud. But Grandma and Granddad missed the last one but they're here today."
On Kalapour's performance: "I hadn't ridden him in a race this prep or even last prep but I trialled him, rode him in his work and knew enough about him without really riding him in a race, and I had been adamant to Kris he had been flying. When I got here today, I'd be lying if I said I tipped him a winner but I said he's a genuine top four chance and when he can get into that rolling position he's just a monster. He's got a big set of lungs and big action, so it's very good."
Beaten Jockeys:
Tommy Berry (Buckaroo): "I was happy the first half of the race following the favourite but he just didn't take us into the race so made our task pretty hard."
Adam Hyeronimus (Military Mission): "Yep he is going fantastic."
Jason Collett (Ashrun): "He settled comfortably. Pace when it was injected was good. Just struggled around that turn then just to pick up again difficult."
James McDonald (More Felons): "Super run."
Tom Marquand (Post Impressionist): "I would love to have changed the pattern of the race half way around and been 2x2x2 rather than 1x1x1 but ultimately it was super hard to back up a week after a long layoff and for good reason. He went to take one step in and that was the only step forward he took into the race. He's proven he is a good horse last week. Today was always a risk but one worth trying. Didn't come off."
Chad Schofield (Bois D'argent): "Good run."
Tyler Schiller (Athabascan): "Great run. I thought he was very strong late which is what we wanted see going forward to the Sydney Cup."
