3 minute read
Trainer and jockey quotes after Open Minded claims the Listed John Dillon Stakes at Caulfield on Wednesday.
Race Result:
1st: Open Minded (D Thornton/A & S Freedman) - $4.80
2nd: Lighthouse (J McNeil/C Maher & D Eustace) - $1.95 fav
3rd: Excelida (M Dee/B & JD Hayes) - $13
Winning Time: 1:22.53 Last 600m: n/a
Margins: 1/2L x 1/2L
Dominant display
— Racing.com (@Racing) January 26, 2022
Open Minded blew them away in the Listed John Dillon Stakes @FreedmanRacing @livethedreamnow @_damienthornton pic.twitter.com/YiARpEA4Sf
Winning Trainer: Anthony & Sam Freedman (Sam interviewed)
Happy owners: "It's amazing. One thing they do is celebrate pretty hard when they win. It's a big thrill for them. He's a horse that has gone to a new level. Today was his biggest test but he's a race fit horse, and he's passed that test."
Damien rode him perfectly: "We wanted to assert ourselves on the race. There was a key scratching this morning with Witchfulthinking and once that horse came out we were happy to push the button, take control of the race and start to get going. Damien knows him very well and we didn't have to tie him down with instructions."
Where to: "His rating is going to go up again. Really, the 1400 (metres) at Caulfield suits. A race like the Orr Stakes or something like that. I'm not sure if he's up to them but we'll get him home and work it out."
Winning Jockey: Damien Thornton
Ride of the day: "We got away with it. He's got good gate speed. He can go along at a high tempo. He can prick his ears and relaxes quite well. He's such a good horse to ride in that respect. He can quicken off a good speed and that's where Caulfield suits him so well. He can kick off that bend and they can't catch him. He keeps getting better. Anthony and Sam ran him in a stakes race last prep after going through his grades quite well. The horse is flying."
Wind a factor: "It's probably more of a tailwind down the straight which suits his speed. I just had to make sure I didn't do too much into the wind early."
