A subtle gear change and a robust tempo provided Darley stayer Yulalona with the right ingredients for a return to stakes-winning form in the $125,000 Summer Cup at Rosehill on Monday.
Rated highly enough by trainer Peter Snowden to contest last season’s Victoria and Queensland Derbys, Yulalona delivered on his promise after a box-seat ride from jockey Kerrin McEvoy.
Easing out as the field turned for home, Yulalona ($8) sprinted to a decisive lead only to be tackled strongly by Nextanix.
It turned out to be a momentary fright as Yulalona surged again to beat Nextanix ($5) by 1-1/4 lengths with Count Encosta ($13) 2-1/4 lengths away third.
“I gave him a couple of taps on the left-hand side which got him thinking again and he ran the trip out really well today,” McEvoy said.
The jockey said much of the kudos for Yulalona’s turnaround after an unplaced Christmas Cup run should be given to Snowden.
“The horse raced in a new bit today which Peter and the team have been tinkering with and he relaxed nicely and did it well.”
Yulalona was caught in traffic when sixth of 10 in the Christmas Cup but there were no such problems on Monday as he was presented with clear running from the top of the straight.
“Nothing went right for him last start,” Snowden said. “Today there was a more genuine speed and aided by a gun ride he was just too good.”
Yulalona won the Listed Dulcify Quality at Randwick as a spring three-year-old but Snowden said one of the gelding’s best runs came in defeat in this year’s Queensland Derby.
“He can sustain a run,” Snowden said. “If you think back to his (Queensland) Derby run, he drew barrier 19 and it took him six or seven furlongs to get across.
“Then he pulled the whole way so it was a very, very tough run. He can run a trip.”
Snowden, who also produced first starter Epaulette to win the two-year-old on the Boxing Day card, said the Summer Cup had been a target race for Yulalona since he was brought back into work.
“There was this race and the last race (Christmas Cup),” he said. “We got one out of two so that’s something.”
It was a good day for the stable with Giresun an impressive winner at Caulfield.
Yulalona is now expected to continue his campaign into the New Year with Snowden setting his sights on provincial riches.
“The Gosford Cup could be next,” he said. “If he pulls up all right we’ll think about that race.”
The $125,000 Gosford Gold Cup will be run on January 12.
In a genuinely run Summer Cup, Scouting Wide started favourite at $4.40 ahead of Victorian galloper Full Peal ($5.50).
Scouting Wide finished sixth with jockey Jim Cassidy saying: “Perhaps he was a bit flat but he was never going to win.”
Victorian Full Peal, chasing his sixth straight win, wound up fifth for jockey Glyn Schofield.
“I had a lovely run but the horse just didn’t stay,” Schofield said.
AAP TURF
