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TRAINER Mick Price admitted he was pleasantly surprised by the stakes win of filly Corsaire yesterday.
Price knew Corsaire had talent, but she had not been primed for a first-up run and his confidence was eroded further when she drew the outside 14 barrier.
"I asked (owner) Tony (Santic) if he wanted to run and he said yes. I thought she could run a place and, if she did that in a stakes race, it was a plus," he said.
Corsaire was $27 on the TAB and a drifter from $11 to $18 with bookies for her first stakes effort.
After bouncing out fast to share the lead, she cleared out for a two lengths' win from Take The Rap ($17) in the listed $100,000 Rocking Horse Stakes (formerly the Merson Cooper Stakes).
"She did that on sheer natural ability," Price said.
"They don't do that if they're just average.
"She's a scopey filly, not just a speed horse. We'll have to make some autumn plans now," he said.
Corsaire was a welcome win for Price's loyal jockey, Dale Smith, 27, who made the most of the absence of No.1 stable rider Craig Newitt's, who decided to ride in New Zealand yesterday.
"That's about six stakes wins for Mick and this is the best year I've had," he said.
"It's a matter of getting Mick's trust and making the most of it while Froggy (Newitt) is away," he said.
"I rode this filly in a trial on Tuesday. Mick asked me should we run, and I said, 'Go for it'," he said.
Price said Corsaire was typical of the Anabaa breed and needed barrier education.
"She's a barrier blanket horse," he said.
"It took us a month to get her right."
Corsaire was passed in at the Melbourne Premier sale by Santic, who now races the filly.
Santic has poured his racing passion into his Makybe Farm breeding operation near Geelong since the heady days of Makybe Diva's hat-trick of Melbourne Cups.
Article from Sunday Herald Sun written by Tim Habel.
Price knew Corsaire had talent, but she had not been primed for a first-up run and his confidence was eroded further when she drew the outside 14 barrier.
"I asked (owner) Tony (Santic) if he wanted to run and he said yes. I thought she could run a place and, if she did that in a stakes race, it was a plus," he said.
Corsaire was $27 on the TAB and a drifter from $11 to $18 with bookies for her first stakes effort.
After bouncing out fast to share the lead, she cleared out for a two lengths' win from Take The Rap ($17) in the listed $100,000 Rocking Horse Stakes (formerly the Merson Cooper Stakes).
"She did that on sheer natural ability," Price said.
"They don't do that if they're just average.
"She's a scopey filly, not just a speed horse. We'll have to make some autumn plans now," he said.
Corsaire was a welcome win for Price's loyal jockey, Dale Smith, 27, who made the most of the absence of No.1 stable rider Craig Newitt's, who decided to ride in New Zealand yesterday.
"That's about six stakes wins for Mick and this is the best year I've had," he said.
"It's a matter of getting Mick's trust and making the most of it while Froggy (Newitt) is away," he said.
"I rode this filly in a trial on Tuesday. Mick asked me should we run, and I said, 'Go for it'," he said.
Price said Corsaire was typical of the Anabaa breed and needed barrier education.
"She's a barrier blanket horse," he said.
"It took us a month to get her right."
Corsaire was passed in at the Melbourne Premier sale by Santic, who now races the filly.
Santic has poured his racing passion into his Makybe Farm breeding operation near Geelong since the heady days of Makybe Diva's hat-trick of Melbourne Cups.
Article from Sunday Herald Sun written by Tim Habel.