Sydney sprinter My Destiny completed the first leg of his Queensland mission with a narrow victory in the Listed Lough Neagh Stakes at Doomben on Saturday.
My Destiny ($5 fav) stormed home to edge out Ready To Rip ($7) by a neck with the same margin to third placegetter Adebisi ($7).
My Destiny’s win was the second victory for jockey Jay Ford in the 1350-metre feature after claiming the race when it was known as the Doomben Stakes aboard champion Takeover Target in 2005.
The race suffered an early casualty when Zero Rock was pulled up shortly after the start and took no part after suffering a suspected pelvis injury.
Trainer Con Karakatsanis sent My Destiny to Brisbane on Wednesday after the four-year-old was balloted out of last week’s Group Two Villiers Stakes (1600m) at Warwick Farm.
His main mission is the $400,000 Magic Millions Cup (1400m) at the Gold Coast on January 14.
“That’s some compensation for the Villiers,” Karakatsanis said.
“He’s still very green and has a lot to learn but he’ll go to the Magic Millions Cup now.
“He’s only had nine starts before now and has taken a while to put it all together.”
Karakatsanis admitted to having some reservations during the run with the son of Stratum before he took his record to five wins from 10 starts.
“He tends to run around too much for some reason when he finds open spaces,” he said.
“But that is probably because it’s Doomben and he’s a better horse on a bigger track.”
Karakatsanis, who won successive Group One Stradbroke Handicaps with Black Piranha in 2009/10, warned he’d be monitoring My Destiny closely in the coming days before giving the gelding the all clear to start in the Magic Millions Cup.
“He’s not the soundest horse and has had a lot of leg problems,” he said.
“He takes a lot of looking after.”
Ford also admitted to having concerns at the top of the straight on My Destiny.
“Coming to the turn I thought he was in trouble,” Ford said.
“He got through the soft ground but he’s better suited on top of the ground.”
Ford is happy with the way his season is progressing in Sydney after suffering a shoulder injury which sidelined him for many months after riding in Singapore in 2009.
Earlier, promising filly Pretty Pins ($1.80 fav) claimed her fourth win from seven starts in her first campaign with a commanding victory in the Sky Racing World Handicap (2020m).
The daughter of Pins, who cost $280,000 at the New Zealand Premier sales last year, downed No More Bull ($17) by 1-1/4 lengths.
Apprentice Timothy Bell had favourite backers worried when trapped three wide midway through the race.
“She’s a pretty exciting filly and will make a nice Oaks filly next year,” Bell said.
“You don’t see many horses do what she did. We were three wide but I was never worried and only hit her twice with the whip.”
AAP TURF
