Promising mare Seaside broke through for her maiden win at Group level with a strong win in the 2014 Dark Jewel Classic at Scone this afternoon.
Seaside wins the 2014 Dark Jewel Classic at Scone. Photo: Steve Hart
Darley had a strong hand heading into the race, with Darren Beadman unable to split the trio, but Kerrin McEvoy picked Seaside as his mount for the race after she finished a promising sixth behind Aerobatics in the Group 3 The Darley Crown(1300m) at Hawkesbury on May 3.
McEvoy opted to settle in the better ground about three horses ride of the rail and it proved to be a winning option; with the Redoute’s Choice mare hitting the front at the 150 metre mark before holding off stablemate Aerobatics and Myamira at the finish.
Beadman, who was officially named a Darley assistant trainer earlier in the week, said that he was happy with Seaside, Aerobatics and Pleiades heading into the race and paid credit to the jockeys on all three horses, who followed his instructions to the letter and overcame a potential bias on the Scone track.
“All our jockeys rode extremely well and they rode to the pattern of the track,” Beadman said.
“Seaside really put the writing on the wall the other day at Hawkesbury where she finished off nicely and it was Seaside’s turn today – Aerobatics had it last week.
“They have had a great foundation and John (O’Shea) has changed things around a little bit and I think that helps the psychology of the horses.
“The beautiful thing about it is that all the horses are running really well and it is so important to get some black type with this Redoute’s Choice mare.”
There are a number of options for both Seaside and Aerobatics in Queensland during the 2014 Brisbane Winter Racing Carnival and Beadman said that new Darley head trainer John O’Shea is considering a trip to the Sunshine state for both mares.
“John is just playing it by ear at the moment and the horse will tell us when they go home and we will see how they pull up after the race,” Beadman said.
“They looked to have a trouble free run and they both the line solidly.”
2014 Dark Jewel Classic Results
| Finish | No. | Horse | Trainer | Jockey | Margin | Bar. | Weight | Starting Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8 | SEASIDE | John O’Shea | Kerrin McEvoy | – | 4 | 55kg | $6 |
| 2 | 1 | AEROBATICS | John O’Shea | Christian Reith | 0.5L | 10 | 58kg | $4.60F |
| 3 | 5 | MYAMIRA | Rodney Northam | Robert Thompson | 1L | 9 | 55kg | $13 |
| 4 | 3 | LILLIBURLERO | David Payne | Jeff Lloyd | 1.9L | 7 | 57kg | $6 |
| 5 | 4 | MISS STELLABELLE | Gai Waterhouse | Brenton Avdulla | 4.6L | 3 | 55.5kg | $6 |
| 6 | 6 | TWO BLUE | Kristen Buchanan | Glyn Schofield | 5.3L | 6 | 55kg | $5 |
| 7 | 7 | PLEIADES | John O’Shea | Sam Clipperton (a) | 6.4L | 8 | 55kg | $15 |
| 8 | 11 | CHATHAM HOUSE | Michael, Wayne & John Hawkes | Taylor Marshall (a) | 8.9L | 2 | 55kg | $11 |
| 9 | 10 | GRAND DAUGHTER | Michael, Wayne & John Hawkes | Dwayne Dunn | 12.9L | 1 | 55kg | $31 |
| 10 | 9 | GOLD EPONA | Kris Lees | Chad Schofield | 15.7L | 5 | 55kg | $51 |
