Apprentice Tim Bell scored his biggest win yet for the Patinack Farm team aboard Galizani in Saturday’s Listed Tattersalls Club Cup at Randwick.
Bell, 18, accepted the role as Patinack Farm's Queensland stable rider earlier this year and was thrilled to land his first stakes win
for the racing and breeding operation in the $100,000 feature over 2400m.
Five-year-old Galizani was suited by the conditions and the hectic tempo set by Herculian Prince and finished over the top of her rivals to defeat the Peter Snowden-trained Adroitly by three-quarters of a length.
Galizani and Adroitly cleared out from the rest of the field over the concluding stages, with the Gai Waterhouse-trained Older Than Time coming from well back in the field to finish 2-1/2 lengths away third.
“I’m really happy to be the stable rider in the Queensland areas for Patinack and opportunities like this don’t come along very often,” Bell said.
“Riding a winner here at Randwick is great. It’s my first stakes win for Mr Tinkler.”
Bell was called upon to ride at Randwick on Saturday with many of Sydney’s best jockeys in Melbourne for the Caulfield Cup meeting.
The victory for Galizani was a bright spot in a frustrating campaign so far for the daughter of Galileo and stable representative Andre Rabbett praised trainer John Thompson for turning the stayer’s fortunes around.
Maluckyday was a dominant winner of the same race last year before going on to win the Lexus Stakes at Flemington to force his way into the Melbourne Cup where he beat all but Americain.
The door is still ajar for Galizani to follow the same path, with her win in the Tattersalls Club Cup passing the first ballot clause for the Melbourne Cup.
Galizani was 69th in the order of entry heading into the Tattersalls Club Cup.
“We’ll see how she pulls up from today and Nathan (Tinkler) and John (Thompson) will discuss things,” Rabbett said.
“There’s a few options they will look at.”
Rabbett said Thompson had totally changed Galizani’s training around to try to spark a form reversal as Galizani has failed to fire in four starts so far this campaign.
“Full credit to John, he realised things weren’t going her way so far this preparation and he totally changed the way he worked and trained her,” Rabbett said.
“He kept her fresher and it’s paid off today.”
King Gladiator, who was first emergency, gained a start in the race and despite starting favourite at $4.60 was disappointing and finished 12th.
Both apprentice Blake Spriggs and Chris Waller’s stable foreman Liam Prior could offer no excuses.
AAP TURF
