Jean Van Overmeire’s decision to relinquish a book of rides at Newcastle for just one mount at Randwick has paid the ultimate dividend with Where’s The Circus scoring a boilover victory in the Inglis Nursery.
Van Overmeire had partnered the filly, a $1250 online buy, to a recent barrier trial win at Kembla Grange and when he found out she was heading to Saturday’s $400,000 restricted feature, he was keen to stay aboard.
“It’s always a bit tricky to do that, give up my provincial rides to come here, especially when I’ve only got one,” Van Overmeire said.
“But my thinking was, each year this race is not always that strong and the way she trialled the other day, purely on how she felt, I thought it would be worthwhile giving her a test anyway.”
Where’s The Circus is prepared by Paul Murray, a son of the late legendary trainer Bede.
Murray worked with his father during the halcyon days of horses such as Victory Vein, Half Hennessy and Universal Prince and has enjoyed success in his own right with multiple stakes winner Predatory Pricer.
The winner’s half-sister, Can’t Find Snippy, finished third for the family in the 2016 Inglis Classic, now known as the Inglis Millennium, but Murray said it had been slim pickings in recent times.
“It is getting very hard,” Murray said of training.
“I only had a handful of horses. I had to get rid of the older horses and just have one crack at having a go at getting a few nice two-year-olds and it looks like it’s going to pay off.”
The Inglis Nursery (1000m) field was reduced to nine when Billecart Blue was a late scratching at the barrier after becoming cast, with Where’s The Circus ($51) bouncing to the front and showing her rivals a clean pair of heels to score by 1-1/4 lengths over Internal Affairs ($2.70 fav), Regal Hustle ($20) another short neck away third.
The cheapest horse in the race at $1250, she not only claimed the scalp of $440,000 yearling Internal Affairs but $1.2 million colt Vatican, who finished fifth.
Van Overmeire’s day was soured slightly by a careless riding suspension stemming from the Inglis Nursery, his three-meeting penalty to start on December 23 and expire on December 29.
