The race didn’t go to script for Hellbent in the Inglis Sprint at Randwick last month, but the promising colt has shown his class with an emphatic win in another $250,000 sales-restricted race.
Saturday’s Inglis Dash (1100m) at Flemington was an afterthought for trainer Kurt Goldman after the colt was narrowly beaten as favourite in the December 12 race at Randwick.
Hellbent
Goldman sent Hellbent back to the trials after that defeat and applied blinkers and a tongue tie before looking to Saturday’s interstate race.
“I was very confident going into that run at Randwick and he sort of let me down, so to speak,” Goldman said.
“So it’s always in the back of your mind, but it was good to see the real Hellbent come out today.”
Dwayne Dunn was able to give Hellbent cover in the straight-track race and the well-supported $2.10 favourite didn’t let his supporters down as he sprinted to a one-length win over fellow NSW visitor Mossin’ Around ($11).
Geoff ($21) finished 4-1/4 lengths away third.
Goldman trains a team of horses for owner Alan Cardy at Goulburn in NSW and Hellbent is the best horse the 29-year-old Goldman has trained in his short career.
He said immediate plans for Hellbent, who has won three of his six starts, were undecided.
“I did say we’d likely go into the Eskimo Prince Stakes next start but there’s every chance he might even go to the paddock and come back for the Scone Guineas, another Inglis race worth $400,000,” Goldman said.
“That would give us a nice lead-up into Brisbane and he might be able to contest a Stradbroke or something.”
Dunn, who rode Hellbent when eighth in the Group One Coolmore Stud Stakes at Flemington last spring, said Hellbent still let himself down when he became stirred up before the race.
But the jockey couldn’t fault him in the run.
“He put them to the sword,” Dunn said.
“It was a good effort.
“He’s just going to take a little while to mature and come into his own but he’s a really nice horse.”
