Peter Snowden was confident Adroitly would get through the very heavy going at Warwick Farm on Saturday and the lightly-raced three-year-old didn’t disappoint as he slugged it out for a tough win in the opening race.
The meeting went ahead on a heavy (10) surface after an early morning track inspection, and despite sitting wide in the Chipping Norton Room Handicap (2110m) Adroitly ($7) got the better of favourite Brightest ($5.50) in the straight to win by a length with the well-backed A Shade Better ($9) half a length away third.
“I was fairly confident he would get through the ground because he won by a big space on debut at Seymour on a bog track,” Snowden said.
“He had to do a bit of work today and it was like a mile and a half (2400m) race so he has done a good job.”
Snowden said Adroitly, a half-brother to Caymans who Snowden trained to win the 2008 Sandown Guineas, had taken plenty of time to mature.
His Warwick Farm victory was his third from just 10 starts.
“He had bad hocks and was late getting into the stable,” Snowden said.
“He’s always been light and immature and needed plenty of time. He’s about to turn four but I reckon he’s still one preparation away and I’d like to think the best is yet to come from him. He is Caymans’ half-brother so you’d like to think he would have some ability.”
Ridden by Kerrin McEvoy, Adroitly sat three wide just off the leaders during the run and was in the firing line turning for home.
He was able to grind away in the run to the line to edge away from Brightest over the concluding stages.
“It’s pretty deep,” McEvoy said of the track.
“We always thought that trip and the heavy would be to his liking. There was a bit of pressure early and I didn’t want to overdo it. He was wide but he was comfortable and getting through the ground and he kept going on with it in the straight.”
AAP TURF
