On Saturday November 13 Betfair Park Sandown Hillside hosted the final Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival meeting and towards the end of the day four-year-old Viking Hero claimed a long overdue victory in the $125,000 Group 3 Eclipse Stakes (1800m).
In a brave display on a Heavy 9 track at the Sandown Racecourse, the Michael Moroney-trained Viking Hero ($7.50) dug deep and scored a comprehensive one and a half length victory over Davcon ($18) with $3.20 favourite Niblick coming in a close third.
It was an impressive win considering connections nearly scratched the eventual Eclipse Stakes winner Viking Hero from the field due to the rain-affected track conditions.
After settling well back in the field, Viking Hero and jockey Mark Zahra were sitting last with 400 metres to go before pulling out a powerful finishing burst to quicken on the straight, running out wide to pass all his rivals and claim the win.
Elvstroem gelding Viking Hero has now won two of their 15 career starts for $150,942 in prize money with more glory likely to follow in the autumn for the improving galloper.
Other Sandown race results from Saturday including Zipping’s historic fourth consecutive win in the Group 2 Sandown Classic (2400m) and the return to form of Sydney galloper Pressday in the Group 2 Sandown Guineas (1600m).
The racing season continues in WA with the Perth Summer Carnival kicking off this Saturday, the Ascot meeting headlined by the Group 1 Railway Stakes.
Get the best odds on the race and a free $400 bet by signing up with the Tabcorp-owned Luxbet today and quoting the exclusive codeword EXTRA400!
2010 Eclipse Stakes Results & Finishing Order
| Finish | No. | Horse | Jockey | Trainer | Weight | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 15 | VIKING HERO(9) | Mark Zahra | Michael Moroney | 54.5 | 1-55.21 |
| 2nd | 8 | DAVCON(8) | Ben Melham | Heath Conners | 54.5 | 1.5L |
| 3rd | 10 | NIBLICK(5) | Nicholas Hall | Robert Hickmott | 54.5 | 1.6L |
| 4th | 2 | SADALBARI(6) | Ibrahim Gundogdu | Michael Kent | 56.5 | 1.8L |
| 5th | 9 | INFLUENTIAL MISS(2) | Steven King | Pat Carey | 54.5 | 2.6L |
| 6th | 12 | THE BIG STEEL(3) | Danny Nikolic | Matt Laurie | 54.5 | 4.3L |
| 7th | 11 | TOKEN OF HONOUR(4) | Craig Williams | David Hayes | 54.5 | 8.1L |
| 8th | 1 | TAGUS(7) | Dwayne Dunn | John P Thompson | 57.0 | 8.5L |
| 9th | 13 | OUR TIGRESS(1) | Craig Newitt | Michael Moroney | 54.5 | 28.5L |
| Src | 3 | HANKS | Luke Nolen | Peter G Moody | ||
| Src | 4 | PACINO | Les Beer | Clinton McDonald | ||
| Src | 5 | FAST FUTURE | Michael Rodd | Russell Cameron | ||
| Src | 6 | ERASET | James Winks | Danny O’Brien | ||
| Src | 7 | ABSOLUTE FAITH | Chris Symons | John McArdle | ||
| Src | 14 | WORK THE ROOM | Glen Boss | Colin Little |
