3 minute read

Trainer and jockey quotes after Garachico takes out the Australian Heritage Cup at Flemington on Tuesday.

Race Result:

1st: Garachio (Dom Sutton/Billy Egan) - $61
2nd: Newfoundland (G Waterhouse & A Bott/Jamie Kah) - $5.50F
3rd: Whisky On The Hill (M Moroney & G Thompson/Ethan Brown) - $6

Winning Time: 2:56.44  Last 600m: N/A

Margins: 1/2 lengths x 1/2 lengths

Winning Trainer: Dom Sutton

FROM NINE:

"It's been a long time coming. He's been a promising stayer throughout his time here and we've just been waiting to get him out of these extended trips. He ran third in this race last year and it was nice to go two better today.

"We've always just had this race sort of circled. When you get these horses that love these types of trips, there's limited options for them and it's a great race.

"He loves a big galloping track like Flemington, so it was always the plan."

Dad in ownership: "He's involved. He's been instrumental for me being able to set up my business here in Australia and it's great to have him involved. 

Winning on Cup Day: "You can't ask for a bigger stage to do it on and to be competing against the biggest names as well is just a fantastic thrill for everyone."

FROM racing.com

Winner on Cup day: "This is everything. It's been a sort of fast rise coming through the training ranks, and to be able to have these calibre of horses to bring to the races on days like today, it's just an unbelievable thrill, and I feel very honored to be able to be in this position."

He's a horse we identified in the horses in training sale, and Johnny McKeever, an agent that we've used to help purchase most of our horses, identified him, and he's just been looking for these types of trips. He's an out stayer, he's very one-paced, and getting to a big track like Flemington was the key."

Set to peak: "We just felt he didn't need the crossover (noseband). It was probably hindering more than anything, running him at Geelong, we obviously needed to get a run into him over 2,400 (metres( and we used the first two runs, purely for fitness, get back and finish off, knowing this is our grand final, just happy it all paid off."

"It's nice to do it with the young, progressive horses that are coming through, but you add another string to your bow by showing that you can train these European stayers and, you know, get them to the point where they can deliver on the big stage over these extended trips.

A huge thrill. He's been a frustrating run for some of the owners along the way. He hasn' t won, obviously, in a long time. So, to be able to repay them with this today is the best of all."

Winning Jockey: Billy Egan

FROM racing.com

Genuine stayer: "He's got very good form over (about) 2,500 (metres) and upwards, especially here at Flemington. He was right down in the weights and he is a real dour stayer, so it did bring him into some contention."

"He just got a nice run today and I think his last couple of runs has just been building fitness progressively and today was his grand final and he peaked today I reckon."

Long straight: "It was, but he reaches his top quite soon and he can sustain that gallop. He's only got limited ability, but he's got a big heart and he's got good stamina. So reaching his top a fair way out probably wasn't too much of an issue because I knew he could sustain that gallop to the line".

FROM NINE:

Drive to the line: "That sort of suits him. He doesn't have a big change-up speed, just has a real building gallop, and you' ve got to get him to his top and then his ability, and then his heart gets him the rest of the way.

Mentioned about fall two years ago and back to riding winners: "It's all in the past now. You just look forward. So (I've been) working hard in the recent months and getting a couple of results."