Star Australian performer So You Think has found the form that was missing at Ascot to come through in the final furlong and win Britain’s Eclipse Stakes.
The dual Cox Plate winner started 6-5 favourite in Saturday’s Group One over 2000 metres at Sandown, with Seamie Heffernan taking the former Australian-based horse to a half-a-length victory ahead of main rival Workforce.
“He’s just a very good horse and things went smoothly today,” Heffernan said, entering the winner’s enclosure after the race.
“It was a delight to be on him. It was a nice pace … and I had a good horse leading me so hopefully he can keep this up.
The former Bart Cummings-trained horse, now Ireland-based and under Aidan O’Brien, ran second in the Prince of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot last month after starting the race as favourite.
Running in the middle of the five-horse field, So You Think had settled by the mile (1600m) and quickly gained on Workforce in the closing stages.
“He’s a horse that has a miler’s pace, so when they settle and with the physique that he has, obviously always the sky is the limit,” O’Brien said.
That boundless potential could mean So You Think returns to Australia for an attempt at a third Cox Plate.
Asked “where to next?” for the five-year old, O’Brien mentioned the Irish Champion Stakes before turning to Australia.
“He could get a break now and be trained for the Cox Plate. There’s a little bit of a quarantine issue if that got started. He could go back for some races but he has so many races open to him now.”
O’Brien said a plan for So You Think would be decided in coming weeks.
AAP TURF
