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THE Gerald Ryan-trained Reclaim, having just his
10th race start, earnt a crack at the Group 1 BMW
Queensland Derby with his determined win in Saturday’s
G2 Wanless Wastecorp Grand Prix Stakes at Eagle Farm.
Reclaim (G3 Ascot Knight-Spring Serenade) fought
back strongly for Greg Childs to win by a long head
from stablemate Dodgem, with the Kiwi Russian Pearl
a nose away third.
Reclaim looked impressive at Doomben a week earlier
when he ran a gutsy second to Russian Pearl in the
Listed Rough Habit Plate. Owner Les Cowell is keen
to pay the $27,500 late entry fee for next Saturday’s
Queensland Derby.
“Greg felt that he might have got to the front
too soon last week and I think that it was the same
again this time,” Ryan said after the Grand
Prix.
“I thought the horse fought really hard under
pressure and he should be right at his peak fitness
for the Derby.”
Reclaim was purchased for $60,000 at the 2002 Inglis
Premier yearling sale in Melbourne. The Grand Prix
win took his earnings to $193,500 and his record
to four wins and three seconds from 10 starts.
LATER in the day, David Hall landed another Group
race before his departure to train in Hong Kong when
Pentastic (G5 Pentire-Miss Minden) backed up from
his Doomben Cup second to win the G2 P.J. O’Shea
Stakes.
Ridden by Nash Rawiller, Pentastic fought on strongly
to beat the Lee Freedman trained Maze by a short
neck, with Another Warrior three-quarters of a length
away in third.
Pentastic, which is by the same sire as recent Adelaide
Cup winner Pantani, will now head to the G1 Brisbane
Cup next Monday, which Hall won last year with Piachay.
While he has not yet won a Group 1 race, Pentastic
has been placed several times at the elite level
of racing.
Hall is hoping for rain to fall in Brisbane during
this week to assist the gelding’s chances in
the Brisbane Cup. “The rain would certainly
be very welcome because he’s had some tough
racing on hard ground.
“He’s such a game competitor, he really
deserves to win a big race and Nash has really clicked
with the horse,” Hall said.
Rhys McLeod who rode Maze, rated the mare’s
O’Shea Stakes run as an ideal Cup trial. “She
had a good blow out after the race and that should
top her off perfectly,” he said.
QUEENSLAND Racing carnival news: Ray See – June
7.
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