King Pedro has staked his claims for the spring staying races with an outstanding performance to overcome a muddling pace and win the Listed Grafton Cup.
Trainer Tom Charlton, who was watching from his office in Sydney, admitted to being anxious with the way the track was playing for the backmarker pre-race, and those nerves took hold when Tahlia Fenlon on leader Kaluakoi slowed the pace noticeably during the run.
“I’ve been watching the races all day and I was a bit concerned because nothing was making ground. The track is a good three, they missed all the rain, and it looked a tricky set-up for him,” Charlton said.
“Early on in the race, I was very concerned. They didn’t have the splits up, but it looked like they were going thirteen-and-a-half (seconds to the furlong). It wasn’t pretty and it probably didn’t test the horse’s best assets, but credit to the horse, he picked himself up and overcame it.”
Charlton credited top jockey Kerrin McEvoy for his calm under pressure, the hoop never panicking despite the race not going to plan.
Instead, McEvoy had faith in the last-start Stayers Cup winner, bringing King Pedro ($2.30 fav) with a surging run down the centre of the track to sweep home over the top of Etna Rosso ($18) and Kaluakoi ($11). King Pedro returned $2.30 as favourite according to leading betting apps Australia.
It was the three-time Melbourne Cup-winning jockey’s first success in the Grafton Cup (2350m) and he was thrilled to get the job done for connections.
“When I got him into the clear, he had a lot of ground to make up, but full credit to the horse. He powered and he was really hitting the line hard,” McEvoy told Sky Racing.
“It’s nice to pull it off. He’s a horse that is hopefully going to go to nicer staying races in the spring.”
Charlton echoed that sentiment, confirming King Pedro would be given a short break before returning to the stable to prepare for a carnival campaign.
The Group 1 Metropolitan (2400m) at Randwick in October will be among the targets considered and off Thursday’s classy win, Charlton says they can look ahead with confidence.
“For sure. He’ll have a little freshen up on the way home and we’ll have a think about what races we aim for, but a race like the Metropolitan wouldn’t be a silly idea,” he said.
