Briasa claims The Hunter
Exciting 4YO bags first Group win in a close finish, makes a strong case for The Everest
NEWCASTLE - Despite enduring a wide run, Hawkes Racing sprinter Briasa underlined his considerable promise by posting his first stakes victory in the $1 million (S$867,000) Group 2 The Hunter (1,300m) at Newcastle on Nov 16.
The four-year-old has now won six of his seven starts, with the nature of the latest performance prompting stable representative Steve Thompson to declare Briasa a potential candidate for the 2024 The Everest.
“He is a real competitor,” said Thompson. “He just wants to win like he showed today.
“There is still a lot of upside to this horse. He is still raw and in 12 months’ time, I can probably see him in an Everest.”
From an outside draw, Briasa was caught three wide in the run but showed his tenacity to throw down the gauntlet to leader Felix Majestic (Molly Bourke) in the straight.
Felix Majestic looked like he had pinched the race with 100m to go, but Briasa ($11 favourite on the Singapore tote) lifted for Tyler Schiller to nail long shot Felix Majestic by a long head on the line.
The Hunter’s defending champion Coal Crusher (Nash Rawiller) finished third.
Thompson said he initially feared the leader had kicked and held on.
“From where we were standing, I thought we ran second,” he said.
“Then when the number went up, unbelievable.”
He also revealed Briasa was proving a breakthrough horse for part-owner Dr Anthony Johnson.
“He has bred 150 horses and he was telling us when he (Briasa) won that race at Rosehill on the Saturday (in August), that was his first Saturday winner,” he said.
“It has been a long time waiting for him.”
Schiller has now ridden Briasa four times for as many wins. Mitchell Bell and Tommy Berry are the other winning partners at the Smart Missile grey’s other two wins.
The Sydney jockey, who paid Kranji a lightning visit on Singapore Derby day on July 21 – riding one winner, Always Together, on the undercard – believes Briasa has the scope to feature in even bigger races in the future.
“He’s a tradesman,” he said.
“That is probably his toughest test to date,” he said.
“He sat wide two starts ago and didn’t get much luck from a wide barrier, today wasn’t much different, just the speed helped him. It didn’t drag him out of his comfort zone.
“I would have loved to get a bit of cover, but just from the way he kept finding late, I think he’s got the signs of a very good animal.”
Thompson confirmed Briasa would be spelled and readied for an autumn carnival campaign.
The Hunter was dominated by the on-pace horses with the likes of backmarkers Private Eye (Jay Ford) and Far Too Easy (Kyle Wilson-Taylor) failing to make a serious impression, finishing eighth and 11th respectively.
Queenslander Nikau Spur ($27) took out the Listed The Beauford (2,300m) with Tim Clark throwing everything at the gelding to arrive in the final bounds.
He denied second-time visiting Irish hoop Dylan Browne McMonagle on Herman Hesse a feature double, after he earlier claimed the Group 3 Spring Stakes (1,600m) on Snitzanova ($41).
Both Snitzanova and Herman Hesse are trained by Ciaron Maher, who is renewing the experience of having Browne McMonagle wintering at his stables, although he will be based in Sydney this time, as opposed to Melbourne in 2023. SKY RACING
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