3 minute read

Victorian galloper Sea Galleon has successfully raided the feature race at Rosehill today taking out the Listed Stowe Australia Christmas Cup (2400m) in eye catching fashion.

Sea Galleon was sent out as a deserving favourite for the event arriving in Sydney for the event on the back of a comfortable four length win over the same distance at Sandown a fortnight ago.

In a stop start race Sea Galleon was positioned midfield who elected to go for home early on the Galileo gelding after being flushed out at the 600m in a race with fluctuating tempo.

The Colin and Cindy Alderson-trained five-year-old pinched a break soon upon straightening and held it for the remainder of the event with Nextanix and Count Encosta rounding out the top 3.

It was Sea Galleon's third straight win and first at Stakes level.

“It was really good to see him win,” Co-trainer Cindy Alderson said.

“He had a great spot in the run and then they all took off early. Glyn had no choice but to go then and he used that turn of foot up.

“He was tough and strong to the line and he held them off.”

Now a stakes winner and Group 1 placed as a three-year-old, Alderson believes the best is yet to come.

“I think there is a nice race in him,” Alderson said.

“Even today he surprised me with that turn of foot. He put pay to them pretty quickly on the corner.

Jockey Glyn Schofield echoed those sentiments.

“He's got a lot to learn still,” Schofield said.

“He was hanging a bit and didn't corner that well.”

“If he improves on that he will be a very hard horse to beat again.”

Glyn Schofield was confident about Sea Galleon's chances at Rosehill today and while the race wasn't run to suit the pair the experienced hoop elected to roll the dice aboard the race favourite 600m from home.

“It was stop start stop start, more stop than start actually,” Schofield said.

“There was no tempo and a bit of bunching early on and we were fortunately out of that.

“Coming to the 600m one was going to come around me and I just popped out and let him roll. He was strong over 2400m on a heavy track so I thought 'it's time to let him go and see if the rest can outstay him'.

“They couldn't and he showed too much speed.

“I said to them before this race he is the only horse in this race which has got a turn of foot.”

“I used his speed to beat them around the corner and he stayed on well down the straight.”

Today's success was Sea Galleon's fifth win from 20 career starts. Adding to that three minor placings including a third in the 2010 SA Derby behind Kidnapped his prizemoney earnings are now closing in on $250,000.