THE connections of underrated five-year-old Hired Gun hope to aim the gelding at the state’s premier sprint race the Newmarket Handicap.
Hired Gun (West Quest-Cherry Wild) was having his first start this preparation but did the job with consummate ease.
The Michael Voss-trained gelding was ridden superbly by multiple premiership-winning jockey Brendon McCoull who tracked wide along the outside fence to the 700-metre peg where he steered his charge back to the inside fence.
He sat outside of the leader Cricketer to the home turn and when McCoull called on his charge to extend the five-year-old surged to the lead and went on to defeat Cricketer ($2.00 favourite by almost two lengths with Tal Dean a fast-finishing third almost a length away.
Hired Gun ($3.40) showed a lot of potential last season when in the care of talented trainer Mark Everett who prepared the gelding for a win and three minor placings from only seven starts.
Hired Gun’s dam, Cherry Wild, holds the 1000-metre track record at Tattersall’s Park of 57.71 that she set on a dead rated track on October 31, 2004.
The Newmarket will be run under lights at The TOTE Racing Centre in Launceston on November 24.
Listen to what trainer Michael Voss had to say about Hired Gun’s first-up win and where he plans to head the gelding – click here .