Surprise win from nowhere
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Ken Pope returns to scale after a blitzing win with Blackwoods Choice (Noel Pascoe photos)
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Blackwoods Choice most likely surprised a few punters, and even racecaller Wayne Wilson at Eagle Farm on Saturday when he flew from nowhere to win the Ashgrove Air QTIS 3YO Handicap 1000m.
Wilson had called Saint Sebastian as the winner but it was the blitzing finish by Blackwoods Choice (G3 Sequalo-Rhapsody Girl) who walked away as the winner.
Blackwoods Choice (Ken Pope) drew barrier five and was last for most of the 1000m sprint until the final stages when he flew up the outside of the track to claim the QTIS win. Saint Sebastian (Jim Byrne) finished in second place by a nose and Stolit (Bobby El-Issa) a further long neck back in third.
Sunshine Coast-based trainer David Peoples was equally surprised but thrilled that his three-year-old finished so well.
“I didn’t know if I had won it or not and coming from so far back. I thought they might have gone a bit too quick for them but I knew he would be coming home pretty well,” Peoples said.
“He likes to sit off them and work home. In his first race he sat as the last horse and ran home for third, the second race he sat mid field and the third one he sat mid field.
The decision to race the gelding on Saturday was the right one as Peoples walked away with the $32,000 winner’s cheque.
“We were going to trial him but I thought I would stick him in that race…it worked out well,” Peoples said.
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David Peoples was surprised after Blackwoods Choice’s win
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“We were just outside the class record and it just shows you it was a quality field. I knew there would be a lot of pace and we just had to wait and have the last crack at them.
“I’m very happy with the way he is going. He pulled up a treat and ate up everything; he’s really nice and bright.”
Peoples said the win was home bred with the owners having stakes in his sire Sequalo and also previously racing the dam Rhapsody Girl.
“Bill Sullivan and Harvey Black bred the horse and I have trained for them for quite a while. They also raced his mother and have shares in Sequalo,” Peoples said.
“He’s a home bred horse and they sent him to me after Paul Moody broke him in.
“Ken’s (Pope) done most of the work on this horse and ridden him in most of his trials and races.
“My wife Kristy rides him at the track but anyone can ride him because he is such a quite horse.”
The future looks bright for the Sequalo gelding who, in four career starts has claimed two wins and two placings for over $58,000 in prizemoney including $10,900 in QTIS bonus money.
“I have nominated him in a couple of the big ones like the (Group 1) Doomben 10,000 and (Group 1) Stradbroke and if he keeps taking the steps he might shape up,” Peoples said.
“He’s just got to see if he can handle that class, at this stage that is the query. Failing he doesn’t there are quite a few three-year-old races right up his alley.”
QUEENSLAND Racing web news: Claire Power – April 23
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