Promising two-year-old Hot Spin has snared an extra $100,000 for his connections after scraping into the Wellington Racing Club Inglis Bonus Handicap at Caulfield.
Hot Spin was first emergency for the 1000m event and bounced back from a last-start defeat at Wodonga to win by 1-3/4 lengths from Unique Quality and Infinite Energy.
Trainer Mathew Ellerton said the cards fell into place for Hot Spin who was more switched on racing in blinkers for the first time and was on the pace all the way.
“The plan was to give him a run at Wodonga and clean him up for today but he got rolled there so we put the shades on today and he was pretty convincing,” he said.
The race carried a $100,000 bonus to the winner for graduates of Inglis yearling sales.
A son of Spinning World, Hot Spin cost $80,000 and on Thursday his half-brother African Heat, trained by Robert Smerdon, won his maiden at Ballarat.
Hot Spin is well related with his third dam being dual Group One winner Heat Of the Moment who was the top filly in Australasia in 1985-86.
Ellerton said he and co-trainer Simon Zahra both found it hard to get a guide on Hot Spin because he was so relaxed.
“He is a very laid-back, casual horse who needed a better focus with the blinkers,” Ellerton said.
Twice last summer he showed good potential when he was second to Golden Archer at Flemington and third to him again at Caulfield.
“He ran well in the summer as an immature horse, went out, got gelded and has come back with two good runs,” Ellerton said.
“He got the right result today and hopefully he can press on as he has good form around him.”
Jockey Andrew Mallyon picked up the ride on Hot Spin and said he would only get better.
“The penny hasn’t dropped with him yet,” Mallyon said.
Hot Spin’s stablemate Spring Burst made her debut on Saturday and faded from midfield to finished 12th.
“She will go out now and come back for the summer and autumn,” Ellerton said.
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