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Champion jockey Vlad Duric was the punters’ pal on Friday night after he saved the best for last in the last two events on the eight-race programme to bring up a winning treble, all aboard favourites.
After setting the tone with Success Come True ($12) for trainer Mark Walker in the opener, the $30,000 Class 5 Division 1 race over 1200m, the mercurial rider went on to wrap up the nocturnal meeting with race-to-race wins aboard Quarter Back ($17) in the $70,000 Kranji Stakes C race over 1400m and Silent Partner ($11) in the $50,000 Class 4 race over 1400m, both for trainer Michael Clements and Thai owner Falcon Racing Stable.
But if a ride of the day award had to be handed out, it would be the one on Quarter Back by a country mile.
After a tardy getaway, the Japanese-bred four-year-old was further back than desired when Duric was left with no other alternative but to anchor him worse than midfield between runners.
Duric elected to duck back to a rails run at the 600m, but it still looked touch-and-go for the favourite given it could lead into more dead ends.
The son of Empire Maker needed nothing short of a miracle when the 12-horse field fanned across the track upon straightening. A cool and composed Duric switched him back to the outside, but that action took them headlong into the rumps of Baffert (Michael Rodd) and Boy Wonder (Noh Senari), with barely any daylight in between.
It was only when the latter quivered around slightly that a small crack appeared. Duric needed no second invitation to punch Quarter Back right through the needlehole passage.
Under Duric’s trademark hard whip-riding, the gelding sprouted wings towards a most impressive 1 ¼-length win from Baffert with Nationality (Ben Thompson) third another half-length away. The winning time was 1min 22.39secs for the 1400m on the Long Course.
“He sat back in the gates, he was a bit naughty. He’s a horse who’s always been tricky at the gates,” said Duric of the middle pin of his hat-trick of wins.
“Things went out of the game plan when he was further back than I wanted. At the 600m, there was an opportunity to go inside or outside - and I went for the inside.
“I trusted his ability and luckily enough, I had the horse to do it.”
Clements said the fact that the Australian jockey remained unruffled when things went awry was the key to the edge-of-the-seat win.
“Vlad didn’t panic when the horse was slowly away. He gave himself every opportunity to get things right in the end,” said the Zimbabwean-born handler.
“I was a bit concerned the horse was carrying 58kgs as there is not a lot of him, but he has been in a good condition since his last run.
“He does benefit from his runs being spaced out and he came through tonight.”
Touted as something out of the box from Day 1, Quarter Back, who has now ticked off a first win over 1400m after the first three were up to 1200m, has developed into a possible four-year-old feature race candidate.
“I have the 4YO races in mind for him, even if he is a bit behind at weight-for-age as he is a Japanese-bred,” said Clements.
“I will probably get a couple of 1400m races more into him before he goes for such races.”
Quarter Back has now amassed stakes earnings in excess of $180,000 while his stablemate Silent Partner, an Irish-bred four-year-old one-time winner in UK (1206m at Hamilton Park) by Dandy Man, was only at his Kranji account opener, but from the style he blew away his rivals, relegating Black Quail (Zawari Razali) by 2 ½ lengths, he looks to be another exciting addition to the Falcon Racing squad.
Held together in a one-out one-back striking position, Silent Partner had the race all stitched up once he joined Black Quail in the home straight before parting company to win as he pleased.
