Star Melbourne jockey combined with close friend to win Darwin Cup
Blake Shinn’s trip to Darwin was a winning one with Melbourne’s premier jockey living up to his billing as the star attraction of this year’s Darwin Cup meeting with victory in Monday’s main event.
Shinn combined with close friend, trainer Peter Robl, to win the $200,000 Darwin Cup (2000m) aboard the Hadouken.
It was the second-straight win in the race for the seven-year-old son of Real Impact, who was ridden to victory last year by Tyler Schiller.
Shinn was to have ridden the gelding in last year’s race, but could not make his weight of 54kg, and was thrilled to get the chance this to pull off what he described as one of the wins of his glittering career.
“This is a really big race up here, it feels like a Group 1 race, there’s a lot of people here and it’s like a Group 1 race for me and Pete and I’m just proud to be able to do for him,” Shinn said.
“Obviously, there’s a lot of history between me and Pete. He had to end his career through breaking his neck, unfortunately, in a fall, but now he’s making a name for himself as a really astute trainer and when he puts them down and he says they’re going to go close they really do.
“I’m proud of him. I’m proud of how far he’s come as a trainer and for me to do this for him, it means a lot.”
After settling Hadouken outside leader and last year’s runner-up Wolfburn, Shinn took the $3.50 second favourite to the front rounding the turn and then had to hold off a stern late challenge from Prince Jofra.
Hadouken scored by a neck from that $21 chance with Motorace, who shaded Hadouken for favouritism at $3.40, closing off strongly to grab third around the same distance away.
Robl said Shinn, a Melbourne Cup and Golden Slipper-winning jockey who last week claimed his second Victorian Metropolitan Jockeys’ Premiership, was a crucial element to Hadouken’s win under 58.5kg.
“What a race, what a ride, what a horse,” Robl said.
“That B Shinn factor was a big factor, especially that last 100 (metres).”
