Royal Tithe has produced an impressive career-best effort on the Gold Coast this afternoon; mustering a well-timed sprint to take out the Group 3 Ken Russell Memorial (1200m).
Royal Tithe poked clear to beat Oink on the line in the Ken Russell Memorial this afternoon. Photo: Daniel Costello
Royal Tithe was offered a good opportunity to find a position of the early pace from barrier 9, and was immediately led to the rails by in-form apprentice Luke Dittman after jumping well.
Settling into a good rhythm as the Gai Waterhouse-trained Purarri stormed clear over the back straight, insuring plenty of pace was injected into the Ken Russell Memorial from the outset, Dittman bided his time on the daughter of Show A Heart before producing with 300m to run.
Immediately responding when asked for an extra effort, Royal Tithe locked in a fierce sprint battle with Oink but pulled a head clear to claim a maiden win at black type level.
Trainer John Zielke was understandably thrilled with Royal Tithe’s performance for success in the Ken Russell Memorial and was quick to lay the praise on the horse’s class, as well as a gem of a ride by Dittman.
“She’s a good filly this,” Zielke said after the race.
“She jumped out very, very well for Luke and it was his choice to get off Spot The Diff and that should have been the tip for her.
“She was a little bit further back than I expected but there was a lot of speed on. That horse out the front put an enormous amount of pace on the race which probably suited a back mark horse like her.
“What a sensational ride. She’s a very, very good filly and she’s out into the Sires’ Produce now.”
In taking out the 2016 Ken Russell Memorial, Royal Tithe has extended her impressive career record to three wins and four minors through seven competitive starts.
Debuting for second in the Listed Calaway Gal Plate (1050m) in December, Royal Tithe continued to impress off the back of a number of strong performances, including a near-eight length win in the Stanley River Thoroughbreds Maiden (1300m) on Australia Day.
Punters who backed Royal Tithe to win the 2016 Ken Russell Memorial have been paid out on generous $15 odds!
2016 Ken Russell Memorial Results
| Finish | No. | Horse | Trainer | Jockey | Margin | Bar. | Weight | Starting Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10 | ROYAL TITHE | John Zielke | Luke Dittman (a) | – | 9 | 55kg | $19 |
| 2 | 2 | OINK | Kelly Schweida | Paul Hammersley | 0.2L | 8 | 57kg | $15 |
| 3 | 4 | IMPENDING | John O’Shea | James McDonald | 1.2L | 7 | 57kg | $1.60F |
| 4 | 5 | CHARNLEY RIVER | Stuart Kendrick | Damian Browne | 2L | 10 | 57kg | $21 |
| 5 | 11 | EMPHATICALLY | Ciaron Maher | Blake Shinn | 3.3L | 3 | 55kg | $8 |
| 6 | 14 | PURRARI | Gai Waterhouse | Tim Clark | 4.3L | 1 | 55kg | $14 |
| 7 | 6 | YANKEE EXPRESS | Matthew Dunn | Jim Byrne | 5.1L | 12 | 57kg | $81 |
| 8 | 3 | PUNISHING | Liam Birchley | Michael Cahill | 5.1L | 11 | 57kg | $101 |
| 9 | 7 | SPRING TYCOON | Stuart Kendrick | Brad Pengelly | 6.1L | 14 | 57kg | $51 |
| 10 | 1 | SUNDANCE | Toby Edmonds | Jeff Lloyd | 6.3L | 4 | 57kg | $18 |
| 11 | 9 | SPOT THE DIFF | John Zielke | Blake Spriggs | 6.6L | 6 | 55kg | $21 |
| 12 | 8 | INVERARAY | Bryan Dais | Jason Collett | 7.9L | 5 | 57kg | $101 |
| 13 | 15 | PEGAPUS | Scott Morrisey | Ryan Wiggins | 9.2L | 2 | 55kg | $101 |
| 14 | 12 | EMTEVEE QUEEN | Kevin Kemp | James Orman (a) | 12.2L | 13 | 55kg | $61 |
