Danny O’Brien believes So You Think’s half-brother Now You Know is a stakes-class horse in the making after he led all the way for his first metropolitan win at Sandown.
The Elusive City colt was bought for $260,000 as a yearling in New Zealand after So You Think had won the first of his two Cox Plates for master trainer Bart Cummings as a three-year-old.
So You Think, a $110,000 yearling himself when purchased in New Zealand, has gone on to prove himself one of the world’s best middle distance gallopers.
He has won eight Group One races in three countries and $6.6 million in prizemoney.
“He (Now You Know) was a very nice yearling. So You Think probably wasn’t as forward as him as a yearling,” O’Brien said.
“This horse isn’t by High Chaparral but we think he’s a stakes-class horse in the making.”
Ridden by Craig Williams, Now You Know, backed from $8 to $6 in the Premier Signs Hcp (1400m), lasted by a short head from Shanghai Warrior ($7) with Dany The Fox ($2.15 fav) two lengths away third.
“Craig was always going to be aggressive on him today and they had to chase him down as he’s probably looking for a mile and a quarter (2000m),” O’Brien said of the three-year-old who has had seven starts for two wins and two seconds, his other victory being in a 1600m Sale maiden four starts ago in October.
Meanwhile, Luck San, formerly called Happy Patrick, impressed with his easy win in the Sportingbet Hcp (1200m), keeping his unbeaten record intact in Melbourne.
Prepared by Team Hawkes, Luck Sam won his first two starts at Moonee Valley over 1200m in November-December.
But he was runner-up in two runs in NSW, when beaten five lengths by Sincero in the Listed Gosford Guineas (1200m) in April and over 1300m at Warwick Farm in May.
Wayne Hawkes explained that the Encosta De Lago four-year-old’s owner Mr K M Ng’s name means Lucky San in Chinese, hence the new name.
“His trainer in Macau was Patrick Lee so we named him Lucky Patrick but he had a blue with him and wanted the name changed,” Hawkes said.
A $300,000 yearling at the Australian Easter Yearling Sale, he was having his first start since being gelded.
Ridden by Dwayne Dunn, Luck San ($4) went forward to sit outside the leader before exploding away for a 3-1/4-length win over Smokin’ Joey ($3.90 fav) with Mushatta ($5) three-quarters of a length away third.
“He’s a lovely horse and he’s going somewhere,” Hawkes said.
“We’ll find a stakes race for him somewhere and we’ll see what we can do.”
AAP TURF
