Punters who gambled late on Luxbet shortener Monton must had conceded defeat at the half way mark of the Group 2 $175,000 2011 Villiers Stakes (1600m) at Warwick Farm on Saturday.
While champion hoop Hugh Bowman had a stellar day with four winners, his win on Monton was more about the horse than the jockey.
Caught four wide without cover, Monton backed from $14 to $12 on Luxbet surged from the top of the straight and simply proved too good for his rivals in the 2011 Villiers Satkes.
The winner is trained by former great jockey Ron Quinton who won three Villiers in the saddle.
Bowman was apprentice to Quinton and named him the most important person in his racing life.
Erewhon Luxbet $14 chance, led with Zara Dancer Luxbet $15, and Viva Las Luxbet $26 three wide.
Miss Keepsake Luxbet $31 settled behind the trio and took over at the top of the straight.
Monton with Kontiki Park Luxbet $14, a length behind started the chase.
Monton took the lead at the 100m mark and Kontiki Park finished that length away in second.
King Lionheart Luxbet $14, should have finished closer in the 2011 Villiers Stakes.
He was held up for a run at the 300m and needed time to gather momentum.
He did his best work in the final 100m.
Gai Waterhouse trained both second and third placegetters in the 2011 Villiers Stakes.
Fancied runners Shadowfax Luxbet $6 was always well back, Lightinthenite Luxbet $5 had its chance but could sprint.
Fibrillation Luxbet $7.50 was midfield throughout and never looked the 2011 Villiers Stakes winner.
Bowman had previously described the move to Quinton’s stables as “the turning point of my life”.
“It means a lot,” he said.
“Samantha Miss in Melbourne for Kris Lees, a great friend, and Racing To Win with John O’Shea, a great friend too.
“This is up there with those two because Ronny’s a great friend and a great mentor.
“It’s great that he’s got a good horse again and I’m delighted to be on it.”
Monton will be spelled and is likely to be set for the $1m Group 1 Doncaster Handicap on April 21.
Bowman now leads the Sydney jockeys’ premiership with 31 winners.
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| Finish | No. | Horse | Trainer | Jockey | Margin | Bar. | Weight | Starting Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | MONTON | Ron Quinton | Hugh Bowman | 15 | 58kg | $12 | |
| 2 | 12 | KONTIKI PARK (NZ) | Gai Waterhouse | Brenton Avdulla | 1.3L | 13 | 52kg | $14 |
| 3 | 1 | KING LIONHEART | Gai Waterhouse | Nash Rawiller | 1.4L | 2 | 58kg | $14 |
| 4 | 11 | MISS KEEPSAKE (NZ) | Joseph Pride | Josh Adams (a) | 1.7L | 11 | 52kg | $31 |
| 5 | 14 | LIGHTINTHENITE | John O’Shea | Christian Reith | 2.1L | 7 | 52kg | $5F |
| 6 | 5 | ALEXANDER OF HALES (USA) | Chris Waller | Peter Robl | 2.9L | 14 | 54kg | $61 |
| 7 | 10 | FIBRILLATION | Tim Martin | Corey Brown | 4.6L | 10 | 52kg | $7.50 |
| 8 | 8 | NEW DAY RISING | Gary Portelli | Chad Schofield (a) | 4.7L | 5 | 53kg | $6.50 |
| 9 | 4 | ALTERED BOY | Chris Waller | Danny Nikolic | 6.4L | 12 | 54.5kg | $26 |
| 10 | 6 | EREWHON | Peter Snowden | Tommy Berry | 6.9L | 8 | 54kg | $14 |
| 11 | 13 | TINDAL | Wendy Roche | Sam Clipperton (a) | 7.4L | 3 | 52kg | $101 |
| 12 | 3 | SHADOWFAX (NZ) | Mark Kavanagh | Glyn Schofield | 10.5L | 6 | 55kg | $6 |
| 13 | 15 | VIVA LAS | Neville & Christopher Voigt | Daniel Ganderton | 11L | 16 | 52kg | $26 |
| 14 | 9 | LEBRECHAUN | Matthew Dale | Brendan Ward | 12.8L | 4 | 52.5kg | $41 |
| 15 | 16 | WITHOUT COMPROMISE | Kevin Moses | Ms Kathy O’Hara | 13L | 1 | 52kg | $41 |
| 16 | 7 | ZARA DANCER (NZ) | Jim & Greg Lee | Adam Hyeronimus (a) | 28.5L | 9 | 54kg | $15 |
| 19 | STRAIGHT ALBERT | Guy Walter | scr | 0 | ||||
| 18 | CODE WORD | scr | scr | 0 | ||||
| 17 | MY DESTINY | Con Karakatsanis | scr | 0 |
