TALENTED Tasmanian four-year-old pacer Pachacuti added another feature race win to his growing list of credit when he outgunned a small but talented field in the Plunkett Family Ascot Gold Cup over 2579 metres at Tattersall’s Park in Hobart on Sunday night.
Pachacuti is being prepared for another tilt at the Breeders Crown series in Victoria with trainer Barrie Rattray hopeful the gelding can go one better than he did in the 3YO series last season.
Pachacuti capped his 2012-13 season in Tasmania with a brilliant victory in the $30,000 Globe Derby Stakes in Launceston before heading to Victoria where he made it to the 3YO colts and geldings final of the Breeders Crown by winning his heat and then finished a courageous second to star NZ colt Bit of a Legend in the Group 1 final.
Pachacuti won the Horse of the Year crown ahead of his stablemate Beautide that was voted Tasmania’s best in the four-year-old and over category.
Pachacuti is likely to remain in Tasmania for at least the next six weeks as the Breeders Crown series doesn’t get into full swing until August.
The heats will be held at Tabcorp Park Melton on August 17.
The Consolation will be run at the same venue on August 21 with the final also at Melton three days later.
While Pachacuti has continued to improve this time in Rattray also is impressed with the progress of his five-year-old Talk About Dexter that has won three of his past five, the latest in Hobart on Sunday night.
Talk About Dexter was sent around a $3.60 chance in the C5-C7 Pace over 2090 metres while his stablemate Rykov Leis was the punter’s elect at $2 favourite but the best he could muster was fourth spot to finish over 10 metres in arrears of his stablemate.
It was Talk About Dexter’s fifth win this season and it probably won’t be his last.
“Talk About Dexter at one stage looked unlikely to get past trial stage but he has furnished into a very good horse and I am absolutely rapt for his owners Roger and Elaine Topping,” Rattray said.
“They have been loyal stable clients for a long time and it is so good to see them get a really good one at last,” he said.
Talk About Dexter has raced 23 times for eight wins and five minor placings for almost $38,000 in stakes.