New Zealand apprentice Daniel Stackhouse has made it a perfect 10 with an emphatic victory on Victoria Derby hope Apollo Creed at Flemington.
Stackhouse has ridden winners at Melbourne’s last 10 metropolitan meetings, bringing up double figures on one of his only two rides for the day in Saturday’s Ken Cox Hcp (1420m).
Trainer John McArdle described Stackhouse’s ride as perfect on the two-year-old son of Primus who stormed home from midfield to score by two lengths from I Feel Good and Graskop.
Stackhouse, who is on loan to Peter Moody, said he couldn’t believe his winning run and was thankful for trainers who had supported him.
“To ride winners at 10 city meetings in a row is something I never really set a goal for but it is a great feeling,” Stackhouse said.
Apollo Creed surprised McArdle that he won, let alone so easily.
“If you saw him work on Wednesday morning, he could hardly break 28 seconds (for 400m) but that is how he is,” McArdle said.
“He is a hard horse to get a guide on.”
McArdle said Saturday’s win gave connections heart to seriously consider the Victoria Derby for him despite his average pedigree.
“He’s actually bred to be very, very slow,” McArdle said.
“His mother (She’s A Knockout) came from a line of very ordinary horses but they could all stick a bit and we always thought this horse would stay.
“When he came out from behind them today I thought he would grind away and if he could run in the first four or five we would be happy, but when Daniel gave him one he did accelerate really well.”
Stackhouse said Apollo Creed was a promising stayer in the making.
“He relaxed beautifully and it doesn’t matter how far he is going,” Stackhouse said.
“I got back a little bit further than I was expecting but I didn’t expect him to let down and pick them up that quick.”
McArdle said Apollo Creed’s conformation made up for his pedigree.
“He is a very good type and he’s won on his type and not his pedigree,” he said.
He said Apollo Creed would now have a let-up before being considered for a Derby campaign.
“He will go to the paddock and we will have a look at him in a couple of weeks and see where he is at,” McArdle said.
AAP TURF
