Jockey Mark Zahra reunited with an old favourite when Soul wound up his spring campaign on a high by taking out the Listed Kevin Heffernan Stakes at Sandown.
Soul has won three of his 12 starts but hadn’t been successful since Zahra scored on him in the Group Two Danehill Stakes at Flemington in September last year.
Soul winning the TMB Printing Kevin Heffernan Stakes at Sandown - photo by Race Horse Photos Australia
Zahra also finished second on Soul in the Listed Vain Stakes at Caulfield 15 months ago and had his only other ride on the gelding when he dead-heated for sixth to Star Witness in the Group One Coolmore Stud Stakes in October last year.
“He is such a likeable horse and so quiet,” Zahra said.
“I won the Danehill on him and then he had some problems.
“I thought the 59kg would be a bit of test for him today but he really tries and the juice out of the ground helped him a lot.”
Trainer Peter Snowden said Zahra clicked with Soul and was happy to have him back on the four-year-old son of Commands for Saturday’s 1300-metre event.
A drifter from $9 to $14, Soul was up against his more-fancied stablemates Screen ($13) who, ridden by James Winks finished seventh, and second favourite Parables ($3.90) who was ridden by the number one stable rider Kerrin McEvoy and finished eighth.
McEvoy had ridden Soul at his last three runs and the gelding was freshened after his last-start third to Facile Tigre at Caulfield on October 12.
“We gave him a bit of a breather to get ready for this,” Snowden said.
“He’s a tough horse and Mark has a great record on him.
“It is not that Kerrin has done anything wrong on the horse but some horses you get an affinity with and he (Zahra) seems to have it with Soul.”
Soul settled in second place and got the better of the Anthony Freedman-trained pacemaker Masthead to score by a half-length with Doubtful Jack three-quarters of a length away third.
Snowden said Parables and Screen were both coming off hard runs when third and eighth respectively in a sprint at Flemington on Melbourne Cup day which compromised their chances against the fresher Soul.
AAP TURF
