UNBEATEN two-year-old pacer Resurgent Spirit confirmed his status as the state’s best juvenile colt or gelding when he blitzed his rivals in a heat of the Big Park Stud Sweepstakes over 1609 metres at Tattersall’s Park in Hobart on Sunday night.
Resurgent Spirit made if five wins in succession and he did it without his driver James Austin having to remove the ear plugs over the final stanza.
The Roger Whitmore-trained gelded son of American Ideal-Resurgent Star drew the outside of the front line (gate 7) but had enough early speed to cross the field and lead.
Once in front Austin allowed his charge to slip into a steady rhythm and when he asked him to lift the tempo leaving the back straight the last time he simply left his rivals in his wake.
“I didn’t have to pull the plugs and he did in second gear,” Austin said.
“This horse has yet to be fully extended from five starts so who knows what he’ll do when I ever have to get to that stage in a race,” he said.
The trainer is confident Resurgent Spirit has more to offer.
“He has a great temperament and we haven’t had to fully test him in five starts so there is definitely scope for improvement,” Whitmore said.
Resurgent Spirit hit the line almost 10 metres clear of first-starter Ercole (Grinfromeartoear-Capreolate) that is prepared by Barrie Rattray and almost another 10 metres away was Tizyalator (Tiz A Masterpiece-Miffy Jamane) from the Adrian Duggan stable.
Resurgent Spirit will contest the Sweepstakes final in Hobart in a fortnight and then be given a short let-up before tackling the Dandy Patch (sires stakes) series in July.