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TRAINER Bruce Marsh, a Kiwi carnival invader for
the best part of two decades, was back in the winner’s
circle on Saturday when Russian Pearl won the Listed
Sky Channel Rough Habit Plate at Doomben.
Marsh is reluctant to declare Russian Pearl a contender
for the Group 1 BMW Queensland Derby on Saturday
week because the colt failed in the three-year-old
classic in New Zealand last December.
“He dead-set didn’t run the 2400m at
home. But he’s six months older now and I’ll
sit down and discuss it with the owner in the next
few days,” Marsh said.
The Rough Habit Plate has proved a good guide to
the Derby but Russian Pearl’s owner, Gary Kam,
who lives in Hong Kong, wants the promising youngster
to race there.
“You would have to say he would be a major
threat in the Derby,” Marsh told the New Zealand
Press Association yesterday. “At the same time
I wouldn’t like him to fail in the Derby and
then have to go to Hong Kong.
“The only thing I would say is that he is
racing a little more like a stayer than prior to
the NZ Derby. He’s settling better and the
faster run races in Queensland are suiting him.”
Russian Pearl unleased a powerful finish to win
by a short neck from the Gerald Ryan-trained Reclaim
with Sydney colt Set Up flying home for an eye-catching
third.
Jockey Corey Brown was far from disappointed with
the strong finishing fifth of Toulouse Lautrec, which
drew an awkward alley. “It took him a while
to get going in the straight but he ran really well.”
Glen Boss had a hard luck story on Queensland Guineas
winner, Winning Belle, which finished fourth. “I
was stood on my head going past the post the first
time and I thought I was going to come down,” he
said.
QUEENSLAND Racing carnival news: John Lingard – May
31.
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Russian
Pearl (Chris Munce) wins the Sky Channel
Rough
Habit Plate at NCF Doomben on Saturday
beating
Reclaim (Greg Childs).
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(Noel Pascoe photo)
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