A fruitful Melbourne Cup Day for Proven Thoroughbreds yielded two wins and two seconds from only four starters.
As is the case on Cup Day every year, there was a plethora of race meetings all across Australia with Proven represented at Randwick, Kembla Grange and Sunshine Coast.
Debutant HINZEL opened our account with an impressive victory in the first at Kembla. The 3yo SNITZEL colt ran on powerfully under Chad Lever to claim the 1000m Maiden against older horses.
The winning margin of two lengths could have been more were it not for HINZEL’s inexperience.
“He quickened really well but once he got to the front, he started to float a bit,” Lever said.
“I probably got there too soon but he was travelling that well, I had to let him go.
“He could hear the crowd and switched off but once he works it all out, he’s going to be a nice horse.
“He’s done everything on a natural ability today.”
HINZEL completed the course in a time of 58.47 – exactly half a second quicker than the BM64 Handicap run later in the day.
Trainer Kerry Parker will now consider giving HINZEL another run or spell with a view to returning at the back end of the autumn.
A mere $50,000 yearling from Milburn Creek’s draft at the 2024 Inglis Easter Sale, HINZEL recouped more than half of his price tag for winning on debut.
Proven’s next runner came in the shape of TAKE A BOW at the Sunshine Coast. A quirky mare with a bad habit of missing the start, she was again sluggish from the gates in the 1000m Class 2 event but relished the soft track in a sweeping run from the tail of the field, winning by a length for Boris Thornton.
It was the 4yo mare’s third success from 13 starts and provided some overdue joy for her owners following a sequence of frustrating runs.
“The overriding emotion is definitely relief!” Hoysted exclaimed post-race.
“It was very much D-day for her, and I think today emphasised how she really needs to get her toe in the ground to perform at her best.”
Like HINZEL, TAKE A BOW’s race time was the quickest 1000m contest of the meeting.
She was another inexpensive yearling, having sold for $40,000 at the Magic Millions Adelaide Sale. The daughter of Royal Meeting now has career earnings just shy of $100,000 and becomes Proven’s 12th winner for the season.
The Joe Pride-trained ACCREDITED went within whisker of elevating that tally to 13 when caught in the final hop of the $300,000 Choisir Handicap (1100m) at Randwick.
As painful as the defeat was, the run sets him up well to tackle the $1million Hunter (1300m) at Newcastle second-up on Saturday week.
ACCREDITED has been an outstanding performer for his connections, winning seven from 20 with prizemoney in excess of $500,000.
His other potential targets this summer include the Group 3 Festival Stakes (1500m) at Rosehill and the $2million Ingham (1600m) at Randwick next month.
Our fourth and final runner on Cup Day was the Kerry Parker-trained ELIVINA. The 4yo mare was resuming in the closer at Kembla – a 1400m Class 1 event – and attempting to complete a winning treble for the Parker/Lever combination.
As anticipated, Lever had ELIVINA positioned near the tail of the nine-horse field before being produced down the outside of the home straight. She ran past all bar STORM SEASON in an encouraging return for a horse that will be much more effective over a mile and beyond.
The daughter of SAXON WARRIOR was on the cusp of securing a Queensland Oaks berth at the end of her first racing campaign so we are confident she will get her chance to go through the grades this preparation.