A bold ride by Danny Nikolic on Mosheen resulted in yet another Group One win for the outstanding filly at Rosehill but the jockey admitted he might have cut things a bit fine.
Nikolic jumped Mosheen to the front out of the barriers in Saturday’s Vinery Stud Stakes (2000m) and she led by five lengths at the top of the straight.
But as the line drew closer, Streama ($2.90) gave chase and as the winner eased down, her rival got to within half a length.
Nikolic said his instructions were that if she was going to win easily, he should not knock her about with next week’s Derby still on the radar.
“I was told to give her as soft a run as possible but I probably played with fire a little bit,” he told stewards.
“She still won by half a length. It’s not as if it was a head or a neck.”
Chief steward Ray Murrihy said Nikolic risked a worse fate than the $500 fine issued for not riding her out had the margin been shorter.
“If it was a head or a neck they might have pulled the grandstand down,” he told Nikolic.
The jockey said he may have been guilty of giving a few people heart failure but said she was simply the best horse in the race.
A dominant winner of the VRC Oaks in the spring when she led all the way, Mosheen has stepped up to another level this autumn with victories against the colts and geldings in the Australian and Randwick Guineas before Saturday’s win against her own sex.
Trainer Robert Smerdon said no decision would be made on race day as to the next step whether it be the Australian Derby in seven days or the Oaks a week later.
“We’ll talk it through,” he said.
“We’ve got a lot to think about.”
Streama’s trainer Guy Walter was more certain, saying she would head to the Oaks while Hugh Bowman had a different take on the winner.
“She was out on her feet at the furlong (200m),” Bowman said.
“We’ve been defeated but I was really taken with her effort.
“She went from 1500 to 2000 metres and she acquitted herself well as we all knew she would.
“For her to run like that was very encouraging.”
Third placegetter Aliyana Tilde ($91) was 2-3/4 lengths from Streama but delighted trainer Kerry Parker with her run.
“I was hoping she could knock them off but we know they are the two best fillies,” Parker said.
“So I’m over the moon to run third.”
