| For the second time in three
runs Cardinal Colours has caused a major boilover by winning a feature staying event in
Perth, but this time is was the state's biggest in this evening's $364,000 BMW Perth Cup. With young apprentice rider Neil Chapman reunited on the
five-year-old, the pair scored a strong all the way win in the 3200 metre staying test at
Ascot.
Despite starting at 25/1, the son of Chief's Crown was too
good winning by a length and a half over the 8/1 chance Give Me A Chance. The 6/1 fancy
Shoeless ran third a breath behind the runner-up.
Trained by Michael Miller, a trainer based at Secret Harbour,
Cardinal Colours caused the first boilover in the summer when he thrashed Shoeless and
company in the listed Towton Cup at Ascot on December 8.
With that listed race under his belt, Miller called upon the
services of Tim Stubberfield to partner the chestnut gelding in the Group Two CB Cox
Stakes, the traditional Cup lead-up, on December 22.
Starting at 16/1 in the Cox, Cardinal Colours didn't have the
best of luck in a muddling run race before winding up in tenth place, some five lengths
from the winner Never Blue.
Despite drawing an outside barrier in the Cup, Chapman was
able to give the gelding a lovely run at the front of the field and the pair scored an
impressive win.
There was certainly no joy for the favoured runners with the
favoured pairing of Thurston (9/2 fav) and Finito (5/1) finishing toward the rear of the
field.
Thurston wasn't able to continue the big day for British
rider Brett Doyle, who had ridden multiple winners earlier in the afternoon, beating only
one runner (the 16/1 chance Our Annabel) home.
Finito, who had run second to Never Blue in the Cox Stakes,
fared only marginally better finishing in fifteenth place for the in form local hoop
Daniel Staeck.
Finito's run wasn't the only thing on Staeck's mind |
