3 minute read
Trainer and jockey quotes following the Group 1 Thomas Farms South Australian Derby won by Coco Sun at Morphettville on Saturday.
Race Result:
1st: Coco Sun (Tony & Calvin McEvoy/Jamie Kah) - $5
2nd: Warmonger (Mick Price & Michael Kent Jnr/Damien Lane) - $6
3rd: Air Assault (Andrew Gluyas/Jason Holder) - $26
Winning Time: 2:41.13x Last 600m: 37.19
Margins: 1-1/4L x 3/4L
Jamie Kah gets her first G1 victory in her home state of South Australia
— Racing.com (@Racing) May 4, 2024
What a performance by Coco Sun in the South Australian Derby @mcevoymitchell pic.twitter.com/3YpSv4kMfu
Winning Trainer: Tony & Calvin McEvoy (Tony speaking)
On the win: "Very exciting. These are the races we like to win. This filly, she's a really good filly. Calvin (co-trainer and son) was here last week and both he and Jamie (Kah) were so bullish about backing her up. I spoke to the owner - Terry Jarvis - who's in New Zealand, and Terry backed us and said 'if the filly is fine, go ahead'. Very special."
On her spring campaign: "She ran really well in all of them (races). She was just getting run off her feet in the early ones and then ran fifth in the Wakeful, competitive enough for us to run her in the (VRC) Oaks. She actually ran really well in the Oaks, she didn't quite run it out in the spring, but she's developed beautifully. She's the most gorgeous filly and I'm very proud of her."
On the ride: "Jamie had so much faith in her. She said to me she wanted to bounce out and put her there, and the only question I had was the 2500 (metres), but you don't argue with Jamie Kah. She gave her just a beautiful trip and the filly stayed it beautifully."
On the connection with Jamie Kah: "Well, I can't thank her enough for what she did for my brand and my stable. She kept beating me and I thought 'how am I going to change this?' The only way I could do it was to get her on board. Sadly she out-grew me, which was always going to be the way, but she's been a star forever and I love her."
What's next for the horse?: "It's five weeks now to the Queensland Oaks. In five weeks time Terry Jarvis will be looking for some sun out of New Zealand, so if she's well, we'll go to the Oaks."
Winning Jockey: Jamie Kah
On winning: "Its amazing. The Club has put up such good prize money this year and it was never going to be easy.
"I had a great ride today. I had a great ride last weekend, but it obviously didn't go my way. Today it did and for the old boss too. He's put up with me for a long time."
Thank a lot of people along the way: "John (Macmillan) is here, so I've got to thank Johnny. He set me up, got me going and had me stay with Mick Price and got me going there and then I got going with Tony.
"I had so many years here riding with Tony and so many winners and he looked after me so well, so it's nice to repay him.
"He put up with a lot of rubbish back in the day too.
"All that I wanted to do was ride a Group 1 winner in Adelaide in front of Mum and Dad and family and all those that have supported me."
Elected to be positive: "Just the way the track's playing. She jumped so well last time and I wanted to ride her the same. I was not worried about the 2500 metres at all. She finished off last start so well and was areal lion after the line and today she was so tough. She was feeling the pinch, but she was sticking her head out trying her best."
Beaten Jockeys:
Michael Dee (Antrim Coast): "Good tough effort. When he's pulled-up, he's certainly felt like he's had a hard run, so he's at the end of a long campaign now."
Jacob Opperman (Sunsets): "Ran accordingly. I thought he might have showed a bit more today but didn't seem to show much interest."
Jason Holder (Air Assault): "He ran super. Gallant in defeat. He had to work a little bit and got a little bit tired, but he ran the 2500 metres out really well."
Jake Noonan (Bold Soul): "Had to do it tough. Wide the entire, found a nice rhythm, but that work took it's toll late and he laboured. To his credit he was entitled to drop out, but he laboured well."
Neil Farley (Gold Wolf): "A huge run. He's had a great campaign. There were any real excuses today other than he did get blocked a little and he might have finished a couple of pairs closer. Super run."
Blake Shinn (Glad You Think So): "A bit of concern with the horse. He did seem right today."
Damian Lane (Warmonger): "He ran super. Unfortunately the winner pinched a break on the corner. It was a really nice run, but unfortunately he wasn't able to get there. He ran really well."
Opie Bosson (Outovstock): "He ran home OK. It was a bit of a stop-start type of race and he just didn't get into a rhythm, but he hit the line OK."
Lachlan Neindorf (A Samurai Mind): "Just pulled himself into the ground in the early stages."
Todd Pannell (Shinjuku): "He was a little bit sluggish out of the gates and was a little further back than I wanted."
Jeffrey Maund (Just Berrilliant): "He's obviously very lightly-raced. He bottomed out mid-race. At the end of the day he went really well last week and has a lot of potential going forward. He probably ready to go out and furnish into a nice horse."
Jake Toeroek (Tulsa King): "Unavailable."
Dom Tourneur (Steel Blaze): "They sit and sprinted which didn't suit my bloke. They don't ride them like stayers, they wanted a 600-metre sprint, so not suited."
Darryl McLellan (Warialda Warrior): "I just had no luck from the gate. Four and five wide the whole way. It just told on him."
Craig Williams (Ahuriri): "She ran really well under the circumstances. She's not an overly big filly and when they made contact and pressure a couple of times it clearly impacted where she finished at the end today."
