Above: Sandown Classic-winning jockey Luke Nolan with the spoils of victory on the weekend.By Brad Kingsbury
GALLANT Guru proved to all he was the real deal with a stunning last-stride victory in the Group 2 $401,000 weight-for-age Sandown Classic on Saturday.
The Lee Freedman-trained horse was ridden brilliantly by Steven Arnold to weave his way through the field at the end of the 2400-metre race with second place-getter Casual Pass, to grab Cranbourne-based pair Show Barry (third) and Roman Arch (fourth) on the line in a blanket finish.
A crowd of almost 13,000, the largest attendance for four years, cheered home the $8 chance, with Anthony Freedman saying the gelding would be spelled and then set for autumn staying races in Sydney before a possible Caulfield-Melbourne Cup tilt next year.
He praised the Freedman stable staff for their patience with the horse, which had many problems when it joined the stable during the winter.
The Sandown Classic win was the fourth success in a row for Gallant Guru following wins at Geelong, the Moe Cup and the Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Flemington. He has now won eight of his 19 starts with five placings.
In a boilover result, outsider Sender took out the day’s other feature race, the Group 2 $401,000 Vinery Stud Sandown Guineas, over 1600 metres.
Despite sitting three wide around the home turn, Sender finished strongly to down favourite Flame Of Sydney by over a length, with Yarra Valley horse Wordsmith a length back in third position, and paid more than $112 for a win with the TAB.
Owner Jonathon Munz decided not to attend the meeting with neither he nor trainer Rodney Douglas believing the improving three-year-old was up to the class against it.
Douglas was stunned by the effort, which he described as the biggest win in his career.
“I didn’t believe it myself, I can assure you,” the ecstatic trainer said after the race.
“When he was sitting three-deep outside Permaiscuous I was waiting for him to stop but he just kept going.
“He’s always showed good ability but I thought he was a soft-tracker and initially I wasn’t going to run him. I’m just glad Munzy said to put him in now.”
It was only Sender’s seventh race start and its second win after taking out a Maiden at Kilmore two starts back.
Bart Cummings’ lightly raced gelding Swick took out the other major race on the program after jockey Luke Nolan timed its run to the post perfectly in the Group 3 Sandown Stakes over 1400 metres.
Gauci was joined by Greg Childs as the afternoon’s best in the saddle with both landing doubles, while connections of Freedman-trained horses also took home two winners’ cheques on the day.
