It didn’t take long for the Darley team to get off the mark in the new season’s two-year-old races with classy colt Tatra landing a betting plunge at Rosehill on Saturday.
The Hussonet colt had beaten last week’s Breeders Plate winner Pierro at the official barrier trials and firmed from $2.10 to $1.80 before racing to a half length victory over Rise To The Top ($17) in the Manildra Group Handicap (1100m).
The Gai Waterhouse-trained Sherocksmyworld ($10) came in another 1-1/4-lengths away third.
Trainer Peter Snowden’s team of two-year-olds dominated last season with Sepoy and Helmet winning two Group Ones apiece and stablemate Benfica claiming the season’s other major for juveniles in the TJ Smith Stakes in Brisbane.
“He is a very nice horse, but it’s nothing unusual for one of Peter Snowden’s two-year-olds to be winning,” Tatra’s jockey Josh Parr said.
Snowden elected to wait for Saturday’s 1100m contest rather than run Tatra over 1000m last week in the first of Sydney’s juvenile events, the Breeders Plate.
After settling in the box seat Tatra shouldered his way out at the top of the straight and knuckled down to his task in the final 200 metres to score.
“I couldn’t have asked for a better run, it worked out perfectly and I guess that’s what happens when you are on classy horses,” Parr said.
“They are just a step above the opposition, and although it took him a while to get there, class got him over the line today.”
Snowden was in Melbourne for Caulfield Guineas day but stable representative Brad Widdup said Tatra was likely to head to the paddock.
“He’s probably going to get a bit further, he’s probably not a real running two-year-old,” Widdup said.
“That’s why Pete wanted to wait for the 1100 metre race today rather than run last week. I would say he’ll go out now, he did everything right today.”
Runner-up Rise To The Top hit the line strongly late and could head to Melbourne for a race on Cox Plate day.
“She’s still new and did a few things wrong but she hit the line strongly,” jockey Brenton Avdulla said of the runner up.
AAP TURF
