Steel Dragon strengthens his worth in Pallarenda Stakes
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Peter Cullen celebrates his victory aboard Steel Dragon after they held out Whitsunday Express for the Pallarenda Stakes (Mike Mills photo)
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In his maiden race, Steel Dragon has already recouped his purchase price for his owners by winning the first race of the season to carry QTIS 600 bonuses, the Pallarenda Stakes 2YO Maiden Plate 1000m at Townsville on Tuesday, October 6
In a race where nine of the 14 starters were registered for QTIS 600 and all bar one were QTIS registered, there was plenty of prizemoney ready to be claimed.
The $40,000 Pallarenda Stakes included $20,000 in prizemoney plus $10,000 in QTIS bonuses and $10,000 in QTIS 600 bonuses.
Steel Dragon (G2 Hidden Dragon-Vo Gold NZ) claimed $12,800 for first place plus added $14,000 in bonuses to his prize purse, putting a total of $26,800 to his name.
Graham Nicolls from Townsville purchased the Hidden Dragon progeny at the January Magic Millions Sales for the tidy sum of $20,000
Nicolls and fellow owner Neville Walsh have now won back their outlay plus some.
The two gentlemen along with trainer Ray Long would have been cheering the loudest as Steel Dragon pipped race favourite Whitsunday Express (Davin Green) at the post by a neck.
Jeffrey Kruger from Lyndhurst Stud called Nicolls afterwards to tell him he’d also won a service to Hidden Dragon. “He’s (Nicolls) racing around madly now trying to get a hold of a mare,” said Long.
Jockey Peter Cullen jumped the horse from barrier 12 and Long had no qualms the horse would perform well from the outer gate.
“We were fairly confident before the race,” said Long. “When we barrier trialled him earlier in the piece he was a little bit frightened of other horses and I wasn’t really concerned about the outside barrier from the 1000m. It’s a pretty straight run to the corner.
“Peter was happy enough to ride him straight to the corner. He did travel a little bit deep down the corner but it never seemed to worry him that much.
“He jumped out pretty well and he was travelling about fourth all the way. When they turned for home he moved up and challenged at the 100m mark and fought on a bit better than the other horse (Whitsunday Express).
“He was doing his best work on the line.”
Because I can (Ian Toward) finished third by three lengths, beating Sequadeire (Ryan Wiggins) by a half length.
Long describes the Steel Dragon as “very promising” and will now send the gelding for a spell as he pulled up shinsore. They will then aim for the $150,000 QTIS 600 series race in Townsville on March 8.
“He was just starting to show signs of it (shinsore) a fortnight ago and I sort of nursed him until we got the first run out of him and he’s a little bit ‘shinny’ so he’ll go for a spell now with probably about eight weeks in the paddock,” explained Long.
“We’ll chase that money. One of the big ones is on here in March in Townsville so we’ll aim him at that I’m sure.”
As Steel Dragon wasn’t purchased at the QTIS 600 Sales his owners needed to pay $3300 to register the horse for the bonus series. The registration has already been paid for by the win and Long believes registering his horses for the bonus series is a smart move.
“If the horse was going to turn out any good, you’d be sorry if you never paid up for the bonus series,” he explained.
“I think it’s (QTIS 600) a real good scheme. It pumps a bit of money into the babies’ races and that sort of thing with some good prizemoney. If you can get one good enough and you can win a couple of them you’re well in front I think.”
Long was regretful once when another horse he trained for Nicolls, Prince of Steel, found plenty of success early in his career in QTIS races, yet wasn’t registered for the bonus scheme.
“We bought Prince of Steel a few years ago and he went through to open company,” he said. “When we bought him we thought he was QTIS registered. Anyway he hadn’t been and we won all those races and we missed out on all the bonuses and everything.
“No didn’t want to do that again.”
Queensland Racing Limited initiated the QTIS 600 scheme during the 2008/09 financial year which allows eligible horses to race for up to $16.845 million in prizemoney.
QUEENSLAND Racing web news: Hollie Roberts – October 7
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