Trainer Lindsay Smith says it is pleasing to see Adelaide Ace back in the winner’s stall and taking out a nice race.
Adelaide Ace scored his first win since February last year when he won the Swan Hill Cup (1600m) on Sunday.
Smith said connections had knocked back an enticing offer for Adelaide Ace following his win in the Group 2 Autumn Classic (1800m) at Caulfield last year.
Ridden by Dean Yendall and sent off the $2.90 favourite, Adelaide Ace registered a long neck win from Prince Of Helena ($4.80) with Zachaz ($5.50) 1-¼ lengths away third.
“I’m glad he’s able to come back and win a nice race for the owner,” Smith said.
“As I said pre-race it has been a little bit worrying.
“They knocked back a lot of money and then he had to have a wind operation, so the genius (Yendall) had to get him back into form.”
Smith said the telling factor in Sunday’s victory was when Yendall switched the whip from his right hand to his left inside the final 150m.
“He did dig in as I thought the other horse might have had him,” Smith said.
“When Dean gave him that couple of biffo’s on the inside, he lifted and I thought that was the difference between winning a losing.”
The victory on Adelaide Ace was Yendall’s fifth for the day.
“At one stage I thought I wasn’t going that well, but when young Lachie (Neindorf) rode him last time he looked like he hit a bit of a flat spot and was good again late,” Yendall said.
“So, I was hoping that was going to be the case again today. I had the whip in the right but switched it over to the left just to trick him a bit as he hadn’t been in front for a while.
“Everything fell into place.”
