Talented three-year-old Arabian Gold has produced a strong final straight sprint win the Group 3 Adrian Knox Stakes (2000m) on day 1 of the inaugural The Championships at Royal Randwick this afternoon.
Arabian Gold has sprinted well in the final straight to claim the 2014 Adrian Knox Stakes. Photo: Steve Hart
Jumping well, Arabian Gold settled in prime position on the heels of early pace setter Amanpour and Paris Match over the back straight and rounding the bend.
Finding the final straight with a clear racing line, the exiting Dubawi filly comfortably took up the pace and broke clear of the pack, finishing a length in the clear of Missvonn and Lady Cumquat and delivering jockey Blake Shinn career win number one thousand.
Trainer David Vandyke has understandable pleased with the efforts of Arabian Gold in the 2014 Adrian Knox Stakes, crediting a good preparation for the success.
“It wasn’t run to suit her; she was out facing the breeze and probably a little closer than we wanted but that was dominant” Vandyke said following the race.
“She’s back, she trialled well last week and she’s just started to come good now – couldn’t be happier.
“We’ve had a bit of a rough trot this year and Michael and the team have just had their heads down and bums up and working hard and we’ve reaped the rewards of that today, it’s terrific.
“I love this girl; she’s such a beautiful horse.”
Jockey Blake Shinn offered up a top ride on Arabian Gold in the 2014 Adrian Knox Stakes
“It’s very special; it’s something you don’t really set out to achieve but it’s something I’m pretty proud of” Shinn said of chalking up his thousandth victory.
“She’s a great filly; full credit to David Vandyke, he never lost faith in her.
“She had a job at task; 59kgs on a heavy track but her class prevailed and it was a very dominant win.”
Following the impressive win under handicap conditions, an appearance in next weekend’s major Group 1 Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2000m) now looms as a likely target for Arabian Gold.
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2014 Adrian Knox Stakes Results
| Finish | No. | Horse | Trainer | Jockey | Margin | Bar. | Weight | Starting Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | ARABIAN GOLD | David Vandyke | Blake Shinn | – | 8 | 59kg | $6.50 |
| 2 | 11 | MISSVONN | Guy Walter | Craig Newitt | 1.3L | 6 | 54kg | $5 |
| 3 | 4 | LADY CUMQUAT | Roger James | Nash Rawiller | 1.8L | 5 | 56kg | $4F |
| 4 | 12 | PARIS MATCH | Anthony Cummings | Glen Boss | 4.8L | 15 | 54kg | $21 |
| 5 | 8 | AMANPOUR | Gai Waterhouse | Tommy Berry | 6.6L | 7 | 54kg | $10 |
| 6 | 3 | METAPHORICAL | Peter G Moody | Brenton Avdulla | 6.7L | 1 | 56.5kg | $13 |
| 7 | 5 | ESTONIAN PRINCESS | Scott Aspery | Hugh Bowman | 7.6L | 9 | 55kg | $10 |
| 8 | 2 | ROLE MODEL (NZ) | Gai Waterhouse | Tim Clark | 7.7L | 2 | 57kg | $9 |
| 9 | 10 | MOORLUV | Michael, Wayne & John Hawkes | James McDonald | 9.6L | 12 | 54kg | $13 |
| 10 | 16 | BLUE EYES | Pat Carey | Rhys McLeod | 15.1L | 13 | 54kg | $81 |
| 11 | 15 | MARY LOU | Anthony Cummings | Joao Moreira | 16.7L | 11 | 54kg | $101 |
| 12 | 13 | SWEET JAFFA | Guy Walter | Christian Reith | 17.2L | 10 | 54kg | $71 |
| 13 | 17 | SIBERIAN ROSE | Peter Wiggins | Jay Ford | 17.4L | 4 | 54kg | $201 |
| 14 | 7 | DEVIL MISS | David Payne | Jason Collett | 18.5L | 14 | 54kg | $101 |
| 15 | 14 | HIGH HARMONY (NZ) | Guy Walter | Ms Kathy O’Hara | 22.4L | 3 | 54kg | $16 |