News Alert: Karakatsanis a winter winner
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Tye Angland and News Alert speed home to victory (Noel Pascoe photo)
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Rosehill trainer Con Karakatsanis will be returning home with a smile on his face after his visit north to the Queensland Winter Racing Carnival.
Two weeks after clinching the Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap with Black Piranha, stablemate News Alert won the Group 3 W.J. Healy Stakes 1200m.
It was the second Black Type win during the Carnival for News Alert (G4 Danehill Dancer IRE-Breaking News) after he won the Listed Chief De Beers Quality which he followed up with a third in the Listed QTC Lightning.
News Alert has had a career dogged with seconds and in his first run with the Karakatsanis stable in May he again was runner-up but the trainer always remained positive with the honest horse.
“You’ve just got to find the key to this horse,” he said. “We’ve worked really hard to get this horse right.”
And he got it right in the Healy.
Jockey Tye Angland worked News Alert from the outside barrier 13 to get to the front.
They travelled deep at the front of the field and in the straight they continued to work hard to gain the lead and hold it to win by three quarters of a length.
Wasted Emotions (Michael Cahill) placed second half a length in front of $1.80 race favourite Keano (Damien Oliver).
Angland thought the gelding jumped well. “There was a lot of speed on inside me and we had to do a little bit of work to get there,” he said. “Just before the corner I slotted him one off. He likes a little bit of room so I was happy where I was.
“It was a nice strong win.”
Karakatsanis was impressed with the effort his charge put in. “He got caught three deep early and he had to do a bit of work so all the credit goes to the horse because he really had to dig deep,” he said. “He fought all challenges off and he was too good.”
The trainer was always confident News Alert could win the race and described the gelding’s work leading up as that of a “Group horse”.
“I couldn’t believe his price today,” said Karakatsanis of the $9 starting price.
Angland described the horse as consistent. “He’s got a lot of talent,” he said. “Early on he didn’t know where the winners post was. He’s got it worked out now and he’s winning nice races.”
QUEENSLAND Racing web news: Hollie Roberts – June 22
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