Victorian galloper Speediness overcame a pre-race tantrum to save his best run for what will be the last of his autumn campaign when he scored a heart-stopping win in the $200,000 Scone Cup on Friday.
Giving trainer Colin Scott the impression he wanted to be anywhere else but on a racetrack as he paraded in the mounting yard before the race, Speediness raced deep to claim the Listed event.
Speediness winning the TAB Sportsbet at Flemington - photo by Race Horse Photos Australia
“He’s just about had enough … he was very agitated before the race and he’ll go to the paddock now and we’ll have a crack at the spring,” Scott said.
In beating Mouro, Speediness ($13) made up for his 2011 Scone Guineas defeat by Sincero, a horse who has since triumphed twice at Group One level.
The Scone Cup win ranks among the best on Scott’s training resume but he will now give Speediness a chance to make a name for himself among Australia’s elite racehorses.
“When he does everything right he’s right up there,” Scott said.
“He’s been a godsend to me. At the same time he takes a lot of work but that’s why you go into horses.”
The fact Scott was able to coax a possible career-defining run out of Speediness is a tribute to his skills as a developing horseman.
He made two important gear changes – including a one-eyed blinker – to help the five-year-old maintain a straight course and jockey Christian Reith did the rest.
After sitting in the first half of the field with a three-wide smother and then sprinting to the front at the 300m, Speediness’ legs held out long enough for him to beat Mouro ($7.50 eq fav) by a half head with Kaypers ($26) a half length away third.
“He was absolutely bolting in the run … he was never going to get beat,” Reith said.
“But I knew he would get tired late and I just hoped that I had kicked enough for the others not to catch me.”
Scott said Speediness would spent a minimal amount of time resting and eating grass.
“He never does well in a paddock so he’ll only have a week out.” he said.
“He likes human attention … he’s a strange little creature like that.”
Mouro made a late dash from the ruck as he tried to complete the Rowley Mile-Scone Cup double while Kaypers ensured there would be extra reason for Greg Bennett to celebrate after his minor placing because the winner has been stabled with him for the past month.
