Gai Waterhouse‘s Queenstown ran a very tidy race this afternoon to take out the listed 2014 Grafton Cup.
Queenstown, seen here at Moonee Valley, put in a strong performance to take out the 2014 Grafton Cup. Image: Race Horse Photos Australia.
In a fairly open race with a number of talented horses, jockey Tim Clark was able to hold the bay mare off the lead until shortly after the 400m mark, where he nudged her into another gear.
Tye Angland showed us again why he deserves praise as one of Australia’s best hoops as he guided Chris Waller‘s Secessio around the outside in a fantastic swoop to challenge Queenstown. In third place was Bryan Guy‘s Noisy Ocean who stuck close to Queenstown for much of the early part of the race.
Chris Waller’s second horse, Hoylonny, ran strongly through the middle and made a small swoop to lead the race from reasonably early. Following up was Gai Waterhouse’s Travolta under Timothy Bell, who despite promising reviews was unable to come through in the end. Mullet Man and Phrases competed strongly towards the front of the field during the heart of the race, but unfortunately fell away as the turn into the straight approached.
Late alteration Jason Taylor held Samsili tight at the rear of the pack for much of the race, but wasn’t to be outdone by inconsistent mare Pretty Pins who fell away drastically and wrapped up the 2350 metres in final place.
Tim Clark said of his run on Queenstown, “At the top of the straight when she was exposed she sprinted really well and it was a fantastic effort by the mare.
“She was ready to go to run the 2300 metres out strong and she did that.
“It was my first go in the Grafton Cup and it’s really nice to get back to these country carnivals.”
Paying a total of $150,000 prize money, the Grafton Cup is the headline event of the Grafton Cup Carnival.
Queenstown’s strong challenge to seize first and the three length lead sent a clear message – this horse is out to win.
2014 Grafton Cup Results
| Finish | No. | Horse | Trainer | Jockey | Margin | Bar. | Weight | Starting Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 9 | QUEENSTOWN | Gai Waterhouse | Tim Clark | – | 6 | 54kg | $3.80F |
| 2 | 5 | SECESSIO (GB) | Chris Waller | Tye Angland | 3L | 8 | 56.5kg | $6 |
| 3 | 13 | NOISY OCEAN | Bryan Guy | Brenton Avdulla | 3.5L | 7 | 54kg | $14 |
| 4 | 2 | TRAVOLTA (NZ) | Gai Waterhouse | Timothy Bell | 4L | 10 | 59kg | $7 |
| 5 | 17 | PHRASES | Bindi Cheers | Matthew Paget | 5.1L | 11 | 54kg | $51 |
| 6 | 18 | ONGOING VENTURE | Darlene Duryea | Tegan Harrison (a) | 6.5L | 5 | 54kg | $26 |
| 7 | 19 | SAMSILI | Philip Minter | Jason Taylor | 6.8L | 3 | 54kg | $81 |
| 8 | 7 | IRONSTEIN | Gerald Ryan | Paul Hammersley | 8L | 2 | 54.5kg | $8.50 |
| 9 | 6 | HOYLONNY | Chris Waller | Jason Collett | 10.5L | 4 | 56kg | $7 |
| 10 | 16 | MULLET MAN | Ruth Cooper | Glenn Lynch | 12.1L | 12 | 54kg | $41 |
| 11 | 12 | WAZN (IRE) | Tony Newing | Paul King | 12.7L | 1 | 54kg | $51 |
| 12 | 8 | PRETTY PINS (NZ) | John P Thompson | Ryan Wiggins | 80.7L | 9 | 54kg | $6.50 |
