Queensland star Solzhenitsyn confirmed his rating as one the best milers in the country at Caulfield on Saturday as he became the fifth horse in 133 years to claim successive Group One Toorak Handicaps.
The Robert Heathcote-trained seven-year-old, the $6 favourite, was aided by a “gem of a ride” from Nash Rawiller as he powered to a 1-1/4 length win over fast-finishing French horse Trevieres ($12) with another length to Blackie ($21) third.
Solzhenitsyn - Photo by Sarah Ebbett
Solzhenitsyn carried 52kg to win the 1600m handicap last year but had to lump topweight of 58kg this time.
Heathcote said his travelling assistant trainer Melissa Leitch assured him Solzhenitsyn was up to the task of going back-to-back and the gelding joined Umrum (1999-2000) as the only horse since the 1960s to win successive Tooraks.
“I’ve got to be honest when the topweight came out and they put the weights up two and a half kilos I thought, `how tough is this going to be?’,” Heathcote said.
“But Mel and I had long chats about it and she said `Rob, he’s feeling six kilos better than he was last year’.
“He ticked most of the boxes today. I guess the one thing that wasn’t ticked was the ride, and didn’t Nash produce a gem of a ride.”
Rawiller had Solzhenitsyn travelling sweetly in fifth position in the run behind a genuine speed and was in a position to launch a winning run as the field turned for home.
The gelding sprinted clear passing the 200m mark and put the race beyond doubt as Trevieres made ground late from back in the field.
Rawiller’s carnival suffered a setback when he lost the plum ride on Fiorente last weekend but Heathcote said the hoop showed why he was one of the “top three or four” jockeys in the country.
“As we know with Nash, he’s a man of few words but he came out with that focus in his eyes and said, `don’t worry, I’ll get the job done’,” Heathcote said.
The owners decided not to make the latest Cox Plate payment to concentrate on 1600m races this spring.
He’ll progress to the Crystal Mile and then the Emirates Stakes.
“Then maybe next year as an eight-year-old we might set him for the Cox Plate,” Heathcote said.
Kerrin McEvoy said Trevieres “might have just peaked on his run” and would improve.
