Star apprentice Zac Lloyd has proven the king of the provincial-country winter swing, capping a mighty fortnight by winning ugly on Fall For Cindy in the Dark Jewel Classic at Scone on Saturday.
Lloyd had winning trebles at the Hawkesbury and Gosford meetings in the past two weeks and added a double on the first day of the Scone carnival before winning two features at the standalone meeting on Saturday.
Zac Lloyd sneaks through on the inside on Fall For Cindy (left) in the Dark Jewel Classic.Credit: Getty
He was the first to admit that things hadn’t gone to plan on Fall For Cindy, but the Sacred Falls four-year-old was still able to drive through on the inside to take out the group 3 event.
“I wasn’t happy in the first half of the race because I was a couple of pairs further back than I wanted to be, and then I was on the inside where I didn’t want to be either,” Lloyd said.
“But she just loved those [soft 7] conditions and really dug in and sprinted quickly in the straight.”
Fall For Cindy ($8.50) shot through and went away to win by 1¼ lengths from Banana Queen ($6.50), with favourite Shadows Of Love ($3.80) a long neck back in third.
Lloyd surprised his good mate Dylan Gibbons, who thought he was on the winner when he went for home on Banana Queen.
“She was always going to get Shadows Of Love, and then I saw the one on the fence and couldn’t believe it,” Gibbons said.
Earlier, Lloyd had stayed back and wide on Commemorative before she unleashed a devastating sprint in the Denise’s Joy Stakes.
It was a plan that the team at Godolphin had come up with for Commemorative, and the 20-year-old Lloyd executed it perfectly.
“She’s promised to deliver, so it’s good to get it done,” Godolphin representative Darren Beadman said.
“Unfortunately last start [in the PJ Bell Stakes] Jamie Kah got held in and she overdid it, so the main goal today was to get her into a nice rhythm and get her to relax.
“The big track and the wide gate suited her, and she was able to get plenty of open air. She won with authority, and I think there are plenty of bigger fish to fry for her.”
Once Lloyd balanced up Commemorative ($4.40) rocketed down the outside to score by 1¼ lengths from Spring Lee
($3.80 fav), with three-quarters of length back to Left Field ($20) in third.
“She is a really good filly with a long stride, and you can just feel the engine she has, and once I kept her happy she did the rest,” Lloyd said.
Bella Nipotina caps Australian tour with 10,000 victory
Ciaron Maher lauded the ride of Craig Williams after Bella Nipotina completed a tour of Australia with victory in the Doomben 10,000 on Saturday.
Bella Nipotina ($7) gunned down favourite I Wish I Win in the final few strides after blowing the start and being forced to play catch-up for the whole race.
“She loves these conditions. I thought the conditions, the track, everything would really suit. Then when we jumped from the barriers I thought we were no chance,” Maher said.
“Craig knows her really well. He took his medicine. That was unbelievable.
“She actually hasn’t been in a stable for any more than three days over the past two weeks. She was in Perth, Sydney, Melbourne, Newcastle and now Brisbane.”
Bella Nipotina had raced in four different states in her past four runs starting when she was fourth in the William Reid Stakes at Moonee Valley at the end of March. She was runner-up to Chain Of Lightning in the TJ Smith at Randwick two weeks late and then fourth in the Quokka a week later in the Perth.
She showed no signs of being tired as she lunged to win by a half-head, with Espiona ($6) a length away in third.
“The plan was obviously to use our barrier draw and be where we wanted to be. She had a different idea,” Williams said. “It was lucky that I had the right horse to manoeuvre, but she does relish getting her toe in.”
Opal Ridge ready for Brisbane after stunning return
Scone trainer Luke Pepper will look towards the Tatts Tiara after a crushing return from Opal Ridge in the Ortensia Stakes at Scone on Saturday.
The Rubick four-year-old sprinter hadn’t been seen since the spring but was brilliant fresh as she exploded through a gap late to beat Quick Tempo by three-quarters of a length with Iowna Merc a long neck back in third.
“She just needed that long break and she is back to the horse we had last year,” Pepper said “I was a bit nervous today because she’s had a long time off but she was dynamite again.
“We waited so we can go to Brisbane for races like the Dane Ripper Stakes and Tatts Tiara, and on that win she will be right in them.”
The win gave Opal Ridge a second Scone feature after winning the Luskin Star Stakes in 2023 and she left Tommy Berry impressed.
“She was very fresh and there is so much improvement left in her,” Berry said. “She is relaxing, so stepping up in trip will not be a problem.”
Coastwatch breaks two-year drought in Luskin Star
It has taken a long time and two countries for Coastwatch to start returning on a $500,000 investment, but after two years of bad luck he was back in the winner’s circle in the Luskin Star Stakes at Scone.
The former smart three-year-old was sent to Hong Kong after the sale, where he had cardiac arrhythmia. When he returned to Australia he fractured a sesamoid, but Richard and Will Freedman have got him back to his best.
“It has been two years since he won, and he might not have raced again, so that is a big win for the owners,” Will Freedman said. “He was really good the other day at Hawkesbury and I couldn’t understand him getting out in the betting today.
“He did enough to win, and I think there are some nice races for him in Brisbane.”
Coastwatch ($21) kicked clear a couple of lengths clear in the final 200m and withstood a late charge from $4 favourite Amenable, with Gravina ($17) a half-length back in third.
Sonofdec ready for Queensland Derby
Newcastle trainer Jay Hopkins is set to have his first Queensland Derby runner after Sonofdec stamped himself a stayer with a turn of foot in the Midway Handicap at Scone.
Jockey Ashley Morgan was happy to sit three wide and midfield, and when he asked for an effort Sonofdec ($8) sprinted away from older rivals at 1700m to win by three lengths from Pure Hydrogen ($8.50) with Magnatear ($7.50) another length away in third.
“The plan was the Derby, and it’s earlier this year, so it is a quick back-up in two weeks, but he is certainly good enough and getting better,” Hopkins said.
Sonofdec firmed from $26 to $15 after the win, and Morgan wants to follow him to Eagle Farm in a couple of weeks.
“He’s going to get better stepping in trip, and the Derby was always the plan,” said Morgan, who made it a winning double on Dances With Hooves.
Unbeaten Lazzura will get better
The Chris Waller-trained Lazzura will finish her two-year-old season unbeaten after showing some quality to win the Woodlands Stakes at Scone on Saturday.
The Snitzel filly was heavily backed to start the even-money favourite and had to make a long run after a mid-race check. She did enough to beat Satin Stiletto ($16) by a half-head with Let’s Go Barbie ($6.50) 2¾ lengths away in third.
“She is still raw and has a bit to learn but she’s very good,” jockey Tommy Berry said. “That is a good horse’s race and she is going to get better.”
Waller’s assistant, Charlie Duckworth, said Lazzura would be spelled and the stable would look to the Princess Series in the spring.
“She gets black type with that win and can have a good break and mature a bit more,” Duckworth said.
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