The combination of a return to a dry track and light weight have helped the Tony and Maddysen Sears-trained Red Wave post a determined win in the $250,000 Ipswich Cup.
Ridden by Angela Jones, Red Wave ($17) hit the front inside the final 200m and was too strong for London Banker ($17) to score by a half-length, with Encoder ($18) making it a trifecta for Queensland-trained horses.
The 2150m Listed race has been a long-range target for the winner and Tony Sears says his daughter and training partner has been the driving force.
“Maddysen does all the work with this horse, all credit goes to her,” Sears said.
“We thought about it a little while back. He put in one real bad run at Brisbane the other day on a wet track, which he doesn’t really like.
“(But) we were pretty confident without saying too much because he had no weight on a dry track.”
Red Wave carried the 53kg minimum and enjoyed an economical run from his inside draw.
He provided Jones with the fourth stakes win of her career and the hoop said she went into the race confident Red Wave could rebound from his unplaced performance in the Premiers’ Cup despite his double-figure quote.
“Big credit to Tony and Maddyson Sears, you can never count out one of their horses,” Jones said.
“He is coming off two average runs, but they knew he was back to his best today and they filled me with such confidence.
“I knew barrier one was going to account for a lot and we got the sweetest run.”
The victory held extra significance for Maddysen Sears, who is a part-owner and also raced a close relation to the five-year-old when she was starting out.
“I have a share in this horse and I do everything with him, so this win is extra special for me,” she said.
“He’s the half-brother to a horse that was my first ever racehorse.
“I thought this was his race to win. He trialled up enormous on Tuesday morning, so I’ve been very confident all week – maybe a little too confident.”
Dune Forty Five and Luncies were sent out equal $4.40 betting app favourites and finished fourth and tenth respectively.
