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2024 George Ryder Stakes Winner Veight Beats Older Rivals
Veight joined an elite list of three-year-olds to beat home the older horses in the George Ryder Stakes 2024 when the underrated youngster ran out of his skin to salute in one of the Slipper Day feature races.
2024 George Ryder Stakes winner Veight was outstanding taking out the Group 1 as a three-year-old for the first time since Pierro in 2013. Photo: Steve Hart.
The Tony & Calvin McEvoy-trained Grunt colt enjoyed his first elite level success going one better than his lead-up second in the Australian Guineas to claim victory in Saturday’s Group 1 $1 million George Ryder Stakes (1500m).
In a master stroke by the stable, the youngster was dropped back in distance from a mile to the 1500m and was given a peach of a ride by Damian Lane who guided him to an impressive upset.
“What a star,” co-trainer Tony McEvoy told the media post-win.
“His racing style helps a lot. He begins well and Damian (Lane) has got so much confidence in him.
“He put him into the race and then he comes back and relaxes. He counted to 10, and it was so deserved.
“I’m so proud of the horse. And all my team, fabulous.”
The George Ryder Stakes result further franked the superior form out of Flemington’s Australian Guineas which also produced Chris Waller’s Rosehill Guineas winner, Riff Rocket, in the race prior.
Lane had Veight well positioned in fourth throughout his George Ryder run as Cepheus led the field around.
The front runner was challenged on the straight by Joe Pride’s The Everest hero from the spring, Think About It, who raced into the lead before Lane came with his big finish on the eventual winner.
Veight revved up to take over front running 100m out from the line and dug deep to hold off the fast finishing Canterbury Stakes winning mare, the ultra-consistent Annabel Neasham-trained Lady Laguna, who was excellent again finishing second up in distance.
“She has probably cemented herself as a G1 horse now,” second placed jockey Tyler Schiller said of Lady Laguna after the George Ruder.
“She has won one and run a close second. She has a terrific turn of foot.
“She has shown she can run a 1500m. I don’t know if it was as strong as her 1300m but I think 1400m might be her pet distance.
“Hopefully the All Aged (1400m Group 1 at Randwick on April 20) is her race.”
Another runner who was good getting going late for third was the Waller-trained three-time Group 1 winning three-year-old Militarize who may have just been looking for that 2000m distance of the Rosehill Guineas after all.
Pierro back in 2013 had been the last three-year-old George Ryder Stakes winner before the impressive performance by Veight who handed Tony & Calvin McEvoy their fourth Group 1 together and Tony his 15th overall.
McEvoy confirmed plans to target the lucrative $10 million The Golden Eagle race over 1500m in November with Veight who is likely to be sent for a spell now.
“I think so (a spell),” he said.
“The only probably race left is the All Aged but he’s had a big campaign.
“We’ve had a couple of Grand Finals this campaign already.
“I think it’s probably enough now but we’ll enjoy the moment and make those decisions tomorrow.
“I think there’s a $10 million one (1500m race) here in the spring.”
2024 George Ryder Stakes Results & Finishing Order
| Finish | No. | Horse | Trainer | Jockey | Margin | Bar. | Weight | Penalty | Starting Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 17 | VEIGHT | Tony & Calvin McEvoy | Damian Lane | 8 | 56kg | $7 | |||
| 2 | 15 | LADY LAGUNA | Annabel Neasham | Tyler Schiller | 0.11L | 12 | 57kg | $8.50 | ||
| 3 | 16 | MILITARIZE (NZ) | Chris Waller | James McDonald | 1.05L | 7 | 56kg | $5 | ||
| 4 | 5 | GOLDEN MILE | James Cummings | Tommy Berry | 1.94L | 5 | 59kg | $51 | ||
| 5 | 1 | THINK ABOUT IT | Joseph Pride | Sam Clipperton | 2.11L | 16 | 59kg | $4.80F | ||
| 6 | 18 | ENCAP | Gary Portelli | Blake Shinn | 2.83L | 2 | 56kg | $9 | ||
| 7 | 3 | PERICLES | James Cummings | Hugh Bowman | 3.52L | 14 | 59kg | $13 | ||
| 8 | 19 | TIZ INVINCIBLE | Ciaron Maher | Zac Lloyd (a) | 4.32L | 6 | 54kg | $41 | ||
| 9 | 12 | AMENABLE | Mick Price & Michael Kent (Jnr) | Mark Zahra | 4.63L | 4 | 59kg | $11 | ||
| 10 | 8 | BANDERSNATCH | Michael, Wayne & John Hawkes | Jordan Childs | 5.49L | 11 | 59kg | $151 | ||
| 11 | 4 | KOVALICA (NZ) | Chris Waller | Nash Rawiller | 5.63L | 18 | 59kg | $17 | ||
| 12 | 2 | CEPHEUS (GB) | Matthew Dunn | Adam Hyeronimus | 5.74L | 13 | 59kg | $101 | ||
| 13 | 6 | NAVAJO PEAK | David Payne | Kerrin McEvoy | 6.11L | 10 | 59kg | $101 | ||
| 14 | 11 | NEW ENERGY (IRE) | Ciaron Maher | Jason Collett | 6.25L | 15 | 59kg | $16 | ||
| 15 | 9 | LOCH EAGLE | Kris Lees | Dylan Gibbons (a) | 6.27L | 9 | 59kg | $101 | ||
| 16 | 7 | UNSPOKEN (IRE) | Peter & Paul Snowden | Tom Sherry | 6.41L | 1 | 59kg | $81 | ||
| 17 | 14 | COSMIC VEGA (IRE) | Ciaron Maher | Ms Jamie Kah | 7.23L | 17 | 59kg | $61 | ||
| 18 | 10 | MIGHTY ULYSSES (GB) | Annabel Neasham | Tom Marquand | 9.95L | 3 | 59kg | $61 | ||
| 13 | WILLIAMSBURG | Gerald Ryan & Sterling Alexiou | Joshua Parr | 0 |
Table Credit: Racing Australia.
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