The Sean and Jake Casey trained Want A Winner came home an emphatic winner of the $1 million Golden Saddle, comprehensively outgunning the $3.50 second favourite Cessation in the run home to score by a clearcut 2.74 length margin.
Want A Winner made a mockery of his starting price of $21, moving up to tackle the frontrunning Cessation on the home turn before putting Cessation under immediate pressure early in the straight and then arrogantly asserting his authority to have the race safely within his keeping well before he crossed the line to claim the biggest win of his career.
And, in spite of his odds, he was certainly not winning out of turn as the Golden Saddle was the fifth win from only ten starts.
The $2.25 favourite Immortan Bliss cornered five wide and a little over three lengths off the lead and, when he failed to make up any significant ground on Want A Winner and Cessation in the first half of the straight, that left him only chasing for third place over the concluding stages.
Winning jockey Shaun O’Donnell, who became the first rider to complete a Coolgardie Cup, a Boulder Cup, a Kalgoorlie Cup and now a Golden Saddle clean sweep, had never ridden Want A Winner before, but he got the call-up in circumstances that played right into his hands.
“When they rang me to ride this horse, I jumped at the chance,” explained O’Donnell. “I knew Pikey was away and,, obviously, Chris rode West Star. Credit to them for giving me a chance.” (Willie Pike rode Want A Winner in his previous three starts and Chris Parnham rode the Casey trained runner in the five starts before that).
“This horse is a lovely creature. oming to the corner, I thought they have got to be good to run over him. Putting the Norton bit on was a blessing. It just made him settle a bit behind the leader … but credit to the team to get him here first-up and ready to go. I’m just the lucky recipient on the day.
“I love it. What a day! I can’t believe it. My daughter is here strapping. My wife is clerking. I’ve got all me mates here.
“I just love this game.”
