“He has ability and courage but I thought 59kg first up from a spell would be tough.”
That was how trainer Ted Martinovich described his quality three year old Jezpark after the colt’s win in the Westspeed 3YO Handicap (1200m).
Jockey Jarrad Noske said when Jezpark “got out he got into gear.” He was certainly too good for the placegetters, Hold Your Tongue and Rule To Wyn. Noske slotted Jezpark into fifth position early, in the one out lane, and rode him strongly to the post.
A dual winner of the Perth and Supremacy Stakes in March, Jezpark was also third in the rich Karrakatta Plate, at the end of that month, going shin sore in running. Martinovich said he was being aimed at the WA Guineas on November 22 and was very relaxed for a colt. Noske concurred saying, ” he is far better on racedays than when doing track work.”
The day kept getting better for Adam Durrant. After winning the first race with Recode the leading trainer claimed the sixth and seventh with Miki Two Toes (Ben Kennedy) and Blue Palace (William Pike).
Pike’s judgement was impeccable, bringing the grey mare from second last position to a last stride win over Chilly Reception (Noske). Durrant said “she was my pick of the day.” He will step Blue Palace up an extra 200m,to 1600m, next week.
Pike also finished the day well, on Kheleva, described as a “serious racehorse” by trainer Vern Brockman,after defeating Almachino and Finnegans Gold, over 1400m.
“I saw him in the Hunter Valley and had to have him,” Brockman said after Kheleva’s hat trick. “He shapes as a miler.”
Colin Webster was looking a bit sheepish when his capable galloper Settlers Creek broke his maiden in the Westspeed 3yo Handicap (1400m).
The reason: Webster is critical of trainers whose horses win in the club colours. ” Now I plead guilty to leaving our colours behind,” he said. Ridden patiently by senior jockey Troy Turner, Settlers Creek always looked a winner from the 200m mark and won from Topper Dawozza and Poets Prince.
Turner used the whip in the left hand to keep a straight course, although essentially the experienced rider was still ‘nursing’ Settlers Creek, who was resuming after last racing in mid April. Webster refused to talk up the promising galloper as a Guineas prospect.”I am not going to put high expectations on him at this stage,” the experienced trainer said.