Distinctive Look is on his way back to Randwick for the Country Championship final after a decisive win in Sunday’s regional heat at Wellington.
Ridden by Koby Jennings, the David Smith-trained four-year-old claimed the $150,000 race by a long neck over Galaxy Warrior who also qualifies for the $400,000 final.
Randwick will hold no fears for Distinctive Look who won two Highway races at the track last spring with Jennings aboard.
“I absolutely love this horse,” Jennings told Sky Thoroughbred Central.
“He is a dead-set champion. He is the coolest horse to ride in a race and just does everything I tell him to do.”
Smith also knows Randwick well having spent four years working for John O’Shea before the trainer joined Godolphin.
Smith now juggles training four horses with his job at Gooree Stud at Mudgee.
We’ve had a dream run getting to here and he was spot-on for today,” Smith said.
Galaxy Warrior has also been to Randwick before, running second in a Highway race on September 3 before returning to Sydney for a midweek Warwick Farm win.
Trainer Gayna Williams said it was a thrill to be in the final.
“I’ve never seen a group of owners so happy to run second,” she said.
The Matt Dunn-trained Perfect Dare retains favouritism for the Final on April 1 at $4 while Distinctive Look is at $15 and Galaxy Warrior $21.
The Joe Cleary-trained Lucy Rose won the two-year-old feature on the program, the Wellington Boot, while Gratz Vella took the Cup with American Time.
