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Meeting In Review – Wednesday 10 April 2024
Date: 11-Apr-2024
Metropolitan racing came to Ipswich on Wednesday where six-time Group 1 winning jockey Vlad Duric won his first race in Australia in nearly two years.
Duric recently recorded his 700th winner in Singapore, but with the upcoming closure of that jurisdiction he was forced to relocate to Brisbane.
The Caulfield Cup winning hoop made his way to Ipswich for just the one ride where he partnered All Stash in the Benchmark 65 Handicap over 1100m.
The Jennifer Fraser-trained mare entered the race in terrific form having won two of her past three starts this preparation including over 800m here first-up.
Duric settled in the second last pair, happy to allow the leaders to carve each other up in front.
The grey daughter of Better Than Ready was the widest runner entering the straight and let down powerfully to dash past her rivals to win by just under a length.
It was a stellar performance given she was up in class and held off Waterworld who had been racing in excellent form.
More wins undoubtedly come for Duric as he becomes more settled in his new environment.
Fraser wasn’t the only Toowoomba trainer to enjoy success at Wednesday’s Ipswich meeting.
The John Dann-trained Quothquan impressed in winning the Class 1 Handicap over 1350m.
The four-year-old gelding was last as heads turned for home but produced a devastating turn of foot to put them away easily before dashing clear for a three-length victory.
Another Garden City horse to win was Bringme who delivered back-to-back wins for Brian Azel.
Favourite backers were kept happy with several short-priced commodities saluting across the day.
No Name Frank produced a typical strong performance by a horse trained by Lindsay Gough to win the opening race of the day.
The four-year-old son of Super One was facing the starter for the first time and backed up his strong trial form but proving too strong in the closing stages.
It’s not an Ipswich meeting without seven-time premiership winning trainer Tony Gollan putting the polish on a winner.
Gollan took the outright lead in this year’s title race when $2.35 favourite Exceed Speed was willed over the line by top jockey Michael Rodd in the 1350m Maiden Plate.
Aerial Dancer from the O’Dea Hoysted barn started the shortest price of the day and didn’t let her supporters down in the second of the 1350m Class 1 Handicaps.
Nikita Beriman settled handy before the lightly raced filly dashed clear in the straight as expected to win comfortably.
She is a young horse going places and is one horse to follow from the meeting.
Champion trainer Chris Waller once again tasted success with his proven method of bringing southern horses north with Disney Castle.
The daughter of Epaulette had been toiling in Sydney with minimal success but looked like a different class horse with equine pilot Mark Du Plessis as she stormed home to win over 1350m.
The club will host another metropolitan meeting in two weeks on Wednesday the 24th of April.
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