McConachy conquers The King Of The Mountain at Toowoomba

Rockhampton trainer Jamie McConachy came, saw and conquered the King Of The Mountain at Toowoomba, with his tough mare Cheery Rose, an $18 chance, proving too strong when it mattered to score by 0.33 lengths over the $2.30 favourite Battlefield.

There was no questioning the consistency Cheery Rose brought into the race. From her six starts this season prior to the feature, she had recorded two wins – at Rockhampton over 1050m and at Townsville over 1200m – along with two runner-up finishes.

She was unplaced at her most recent outing, but there was merit in that performance when finishing fifth, 2.25 lengths behind Considered in the Military Rose Plate (1200m) at the Gold Coast, where the winner was notching a sixth consecutive victory.

Dylan Turner, who partnered Cheery Rose at the Gold Coast, retained the ride at Toowoomba and adopted positive tactics early, pushing forward before settling just behind the leader Compelling Truth ($14), who crossed from a wide gate to take up the running.

The pair set a solid tempo up front, stretching the field, before Turner made his move approaching the home turn, sending Cheery Rose to the lead.

From there, the McConachy-trained mare never let up, sustaining a strong gallop all the way to the line to hold off the late surge from Battlefield, who again had to settle for second after charging home from back in the field.

The authority of Cheery Rose’s performance left little room for excuses among her rivals, while Battlefield’s narrow defeat marked his third consecutive runner-up finish.

Locally trained runners Exotique Miss and Russian Alliance filled the minor placings in third and fourth respectively.

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