Yellow Brick bounced back to his formidable best to claim victory in the $200,000 Group 3 W J Healy Stakes at Eagle Farm.
The Tony and Maddysen Sears-trained six-year-old was never in contention in the Stradbroke Handicap in his previous start, a race the stable has long coveted, but his connections knew that would be the likely scenario when the race took place on heavy going with the task already complicated by a very wide barrier draw, so they were totally unfazed by what appeared to be a disappointing result, on paper at least.
The true Yellow Brick was on show in the W J Healy Stakes though with the son of The Mission, who was carrying the steadying burden of 60kg, turning a four-length deficit with 200m left to run into a 0.21-length victory at the line when producing a storming, rails-hugging ride under Tommy Berry.
The strength of Yellow Brick’s finishing effort can be gauged by the fact that he only really started to hit top gear inside the last 120m when he was still back in fifth place and a little over two lengths behind the then leader Hidden Wealth.
The surge … the rapid build of momentum with Yellow Brick and Berry working in perfect unison … was quite dramatic and it required total commitment to snare the result.
With 50m left to run four runners, including Yellow Brick, were spread across the track in the leading line with another five horses snapping at their heels … and it was Yellow Brick who claimed the lead in that final rush to the line in a very busy finish which ultimately saw just under two lengths cover no less than the first nine runners across the line.
Yellow Brick started at $8 in an open betting race. Payline (the $6 race favourite) and Pereille ($10) finished second and third respectively while, putting the competitive nature of that finish in further perspective, the $6.50 second favourite Oak Hill, who was only beaten by 1.61 lengths, finished unplaced in eighth.
Yellow Brick is now an 11-time winner from 32 career starts. Significantly, three of those wins have been achieved in the last six months, which not only underlines Yellow Brick’s current well-being but also brings added confidence to his camp moving forward.
Not that they needed it … Team Sears have been unwavering in their belief in Yellow Brick from day one.
Yellow Brick’s three latest wins came in the $1.5 million QTIS Magic Millions Open at the Gold Coast on January 10 … in the $1 million The Archer at Rockhampton on May 5 … and now in the $200,000 W J Healy Stakes at Eagle Farm.
A $20,000 purchase, Yellow Brick has now earned $4,111,900.
