SA Handicap – Grade I (P9)
1 1/4 Mile Dirt Stake Purse $500.000 Open 4 Year Olds And Up.

1st Achilles Diablo Diablo Ortiz J L

Well this race can throw up a winner that has been out performed by the others in the race thanks to it being a handicap and this one whilst clearly improving certainly didnt look on form like he could beat the KYD runner up. Getting a fair trip from his difficult gate he never stopped digging and pulled out a really gutsy head win. I am thrilled for his owner who deserves a horse of this quality and i just hope he can keep on improving and beat these types of horses on levels.

2nd Centerpiece Mb Stables Velazquez J R

Everything pretty much went to plan for the race favourite and he looked like he was going to win going into the stretch but he was out fought in the end and once again had to settle for second on a big day. He will certainly be around these types of races for the rest of the year and will pick up another one at short notice.

3rd Range Of The Sun Team 7 Illusions Gutierrez Mario

Put up a real gutsy display and fought to the line with his rivals oly going down by a neck into third. Like the runner up we will be seeing plenty more of him in these big races and his turn will come i am sure.

4th De Fuego Defoe Pennington F

My outside tip for the race he was taken way back and then pushed wider and wider to make his run but managed to get within a half length of the win at the end. On a different day with a different trip he could easily have won and it does open up an interesting problem for the trainer after his sprinter ran so well over a mile and a quarter.

Categories: Grade I, STAKES ARTICLES