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Laser Hawk held off a brave New Zealand challenge to claim the Rosehill Guineas this afternoon, handing star jockey Nash Rawiller a 39th Group 1 triumph.
Photo by Racing and Sports
And Rawiller immediately declared the Gai Waterhouse three-year-old could prove to be one of the best horses he's ever ridden.
Two weeks after his third placing behind Mosheen in the Randwick Guineas (1600m), Laser Hawk nestled into an ideal inside position just off the speed, and exploded clear approaching the 200m mark.
New Zealander Ocean Park flashed home for second ahead of compatriot and heavily backed favourite Silent Achiever, while Peter Snowden's Ambidexter ran on well for fourth.
It was Rawiller's first win on the horse, which has now won four of five career starts, and the 37-year-old said Laser Hawk was one of the most promising staying types he'd been on.
“I haven't been this excited riding a horse since I rode Elvstroem and that's a big call,” Rawiller said.
“I was pretty confident as long as I got free running and kept him rolling I was going to be very hard to beat.”
Elvstroem provided Rawiller with arguably the best of his Group 1 triumphs in winning the 2004 Caulfield Cup.
Laser Hawk's next start will be over the mile and a half in the Australian Derby next fortnight.
“He's got this one out of the way so that's the main thing, the Derby will be a bonus now, he's done it,” Rawiller said.
“It's taken him a long time to get to this stage. It's taken a long time for the penny to drop but he's always shown this potential.
“He had the blinkers off today and there were a few scares going into the barriers.
“[He] shied at the winning post, shied at every sign, shied at the little camera laying inside the track.
“I thought 'oh no please don't tell' me but he really concentrated well through the race and I was really confident a long way from home.”
It was Waterhouse's first Rosehill Guineas triumph in a decade. Not since 2002 when Carnegie Express saluted had the powerful Sydney trainer won the race.
“He's outstanding, that's what he is,” Waterhouse said.
“It was a really really star-studded field here today, the best that Australasia could offer of stayers, all rising stars, and he donkey-licked them, he's such a good horse.
“What about Nash in motion, wasn't it amazing, the way he was flowing. The one thing that makes Nash really race well is when all his mates are winning races and he thinks 'it's time for me to'.”