In Brief
- Sunny Sanz too good in Carrick Park Pacing Cup.
- The pacer broke the track record with the win.
- Easter Cup and Raider Stakes the targets for this season.
At only his tenth career start, exciting four-year-old gelding Sunny Sanz yesterday claimed his ninth career win in the $12,000 Carrick Inn Hotel Carrick Park Pacing Cup, in front of a large crowd at Carrick Park.
After galloping out in his first few strides, driver Gareth Rattray was able to get the pacer back into his correct gait to take up the lead at the 2300 metre mark of the race.
Starting in red figures with the on-track bookie, the pacer held off a challenge by Smart Little Shard down the back straight the final time, the gelded son of Sportswriter had to hold off a late charge by Chasing Cheetahs in the home straight with 1.5 metres separating them at the finish with Buster William 3.3 metres away third.
The final mile was run in quarters of 29.9s, 31.1s, 27.5s and 31.8s with mile rate for the 2650 metre trip recorded in 2m 2.5s taking half a second off the previous track record held by Just Knew that he set in late 2016.
Driver Gareth Rattray was pleased with the performance of Sunny Sanz after giving him his first win in Carrick’s premier race.
“It was only his tenth start and it was over 2650 (metres) so it was a pretty good effort,” said Gareth.
“I was happy once he got the front, he didn’t go away that well, due to inexperience but once he got the front we were able to control the race, I was a bit concerned about the pressure we got down the back but he was out on his feet late but he dug in deep and won well at the finish,” added the driver.
Lietinna based trainer Kent Rattray was equally as impressed with the effort.
“He has done a super job, when they popped it to him down the back, he fought them off easy, he was probably looking for petrol tickets the last hundred which is fair enough as it was his first run for six weeks,” said Kent.
Although leading for the majority of the way, Kent believes that isn’t the pacers desired racing pattern.
“We know he is better-driven sit sprint but sometimes you have got to be where you have got to be,” the winning trainer said.
Kent will now aim the pacer at the Easter Cup in Launceston, with the prize money for that race still to be publicly released.
But the main goal this season is the $50,000 Raider Stakes for the Tasbred four-year-old entires and geldings in Devonport in June.
“The goal is to get him into the Easter Cup but the long-term target is the Raider Stakes. and that’s a fair way off yet,” said Kent.