Hugh Bowman has had to work overtime to win his treble on the Gold Coast and show why he is considered one of the world’s best stakes race jockeys.
Religify ($2.70) gave Bowman his third win for Saturday’s meeting, wearing down Siegfried ($5.50) in the last 100m to win the Listed Prime Minister’s Cup (1400m).
Jeff Lloyd looked as though he had stolen a winning break on Siegfried when he raced to the lead at the 500m mark and opened a good break on the turn.
Bowman, who had earlier won on Dawn Wall and Taking Aim, took off after Lloyd and nailed him after switching to the inside at the 200m.
“The horse likes the rail and I thought if Jeff didn’t want to go there I would,” Bowman said.
Religify took his record to 11 wins from 26 starts and his stakes are now $675,000.
He ran 1.20.5 for the 1400m, which was just outside the race record and indicated he would be suited by that distance in the Group One Stradbroke in June.
Trainer Chris Waller, who is in the US, has entered Religify for the Stradbroke, and the gelding is likely to have a lead-up in the BRC Sprint (1350m) in two weeks.
Trainer Toby Edmonds is also likely to press on with Siegfried’s campaign in the lesser stakes races this winter.
“If Jeff had gone to the rails, it might have been a different result,” he said.
Tye Angland, who rode the third placegetter Federal, said it had been a very good run as he had to go back from his wide barrier.
“He made up a huge amount of ground and with a better barrier would have been right in it,” Angland said.
