3 minute read
Trainer and jockey quotes after the Polytrack Provincial-Midway Championships Final at Randwick on Saturday taken out by Territory Express.
Race Result:
1st: Territory Express (P Niceforo/Z Lloyd) - $4.40F
2nd: Strait Acer (E Cummings/M Zahra) - $7
3rd: Shadows Of Love (K Waugh/T Berry) - $12
Winning Time: 1:21.23 Last 600m: 34.87
Margins: 1L x Long Neck
Territory Express wins the Provincial-Midway Championships Final!@aus_turf_club @ZacLloydx pic.twitter.com/AQi51lGOwr
— SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) April 13, 2024
Winning Trainer: Paul Niceforo
"We picked him out of the paddock when he was a baby and he's always shown me ability when he was going around the paddock.
"He came to the stable and he is such a nice horse. He just tries.
"I've been so confident right from weeks ago and everything has gone well, the whole preparation has been perfect so I can't complain.
He's such a nice horse. Look out Cox Plate, here we come."
Hoping for Doncaster: "That's how much confidence I had in the horse. I thought he would have been in the finish in the Doncaster so he's a lovely horse."
Greatest moment in racing?: "At the moment it is, yes."
"I've been around a long time and I've never had a horse as good as this bloke."
Winning Jockey: Zac Lloyd
On winning for the trainer: "I just wanted to get that job done for Paul and Maryanne. They're such great people. That felt like group one. Even though they haven't had a group one, if felt like that for them.
"For me, obviously on a big day like today, it wasn't where they wanted it to be ridden but I had no option.
On the horse: "I've known this horse since he was a two-year-old and to get the job done for them, I really think highly of this horse and I am thankful to get the ride on a big day.
"Maryanne gave me one instruction and that was to get to the outside. He is a hard horse to get to the outside. He jumps so slowly and there are horses all around him.
On the run: "I had no option but to go through them but he's got such a good turn-of-foot, he makes runs and thankfully we got the breaks today."
Beaten Jockeys:
Dylan Gibbons (Tavi Time): "Really good run. He didn't step well and from there he was going to have a task to circle them. I came up underneath them and did a good job to run fifth."
Mark Zahra (Strait Acer): "He had a nice run. Very game in defeat."
Damian Lane (Ruby Flyer): "He ran well. Looking for 1600m."
Alysha Collett (Ausbred Flirt): "Brilliant run. Just unfortunate she got a decent bump at the 300m. Knocked a bit of stuffing out her."
Tommy Berry (Shadows Of Love): "She has done really well. The speed we expected to be there early wasn't so she was left more forward of where we would have liked. She toughed it out well though."
Nash Rawiller (Terra Mater): "Don't think she quite put in her best performance today."
Tyler Schiller (Short Shorts): "She just didn't put herself on pace today which was a bit of a detriment to her finish. I thought she finished well."
Craig Williams (Victory Lane): "We didn't have any good luck from the outside barrier."
Deanne Panya (Willaidow): "He jumped slow which is unusual for him. He went through the pack and continued to over-race. Wanted to go a bit too hard. Raced like a horse who had enough."
Blake Shinn (Baltic Coast): "He wants a bit further and more give in the track."
Chad Schofield (Convincebility): "He had to work too hard from the draw."
James McDonald (Willinga Freefall): No comment
Tim Clark (Willinga Beast): "She ran well. Should have finished a bit closer. Had a good run throughout. A bit of a scrimmage at the top of the straight cost her getting through. Didn't see much daylight after that."
Tom Marquand (Little Beginnings): "Got off to a good start. Burned a bit of petrol to get there. Got into a good rhythm but blew out late in the straight."
