News

Apache Cat joins 10,000 legends

24th May 2009

Sydney Morning Herald - Glenn Davis - Sunday, 24 May 2009

JUST NEEDS A SNIP … GLAMOUR sprinter Apache Cat etched his name into turf history and earned another chance at a trip to Hong Kong after landing successive Doomben 10,000 wins.

The baldy-faced chestnut equalled the deeds of Black Onyx (1969-70), Prince Trialia (1990-91) and Falvelon (2001-02) when he held off a late burst from Black Piranha to score by a head in the Doomben slush.

Fellow Sydneysider All Silent stunned his trainer Grahame Begg with his effort to finish third, a further 1¼ lengths away.

Apache Cat's win was his 18th in a 38-start career and took his prizemoney earnings soaring past $4.39 million.

Trainer Greg Eurell, who has now won eight group 1s in his career, declared the victory the equal of the six-year-old's win last year in the 1350-metre feature.

"Winning a group 1 is never easy but this win was just as good as last year," Eurell said. "Everyone seems to think because he'd won five group 1s he can keep doing it.

"But I thought the competition this year was stronger than last year so it was a super win."

Eurell declared Apache Cat would now be spelled and would miss next month's group 1 Stradbroke Handicap at Eagle Farm.

"He's got 60 kilos in the Stradbroke and there's a lot of younger horses well weighted against him which would make him a sitting duck," Eurell said.

"He'll spell now and I'll get him ready for a mile [1600m] race in the spring back home in Victoria and possibly look at going back to Hong Kong for the Hong Kong Mile."

Apache Cat challenged for the lead at the top of the straight, where jockey Damien Oliver elected to dash several lengths clear of his opposition. The tactic paid off to give Oliver his fifth group 1 this season.

Apache Cat looked set for a big win before Black Piranha wore down the champion with every stride, only to fail when the favourite kicked in the last bound.

Black Piranha's rider Tye Angland has now been a bridesmaid three times at the highest level.

"I thought we were going to get the winner but we didn't quite get there," Angland said. "It's the third time I've been beaten in a group 1 and it's getting frustrating. It was a great run, though, and it was a great trial for the Stradbroke."

Begg was stunned by the performance from All Silent, which looked to be in a hopeless position on the home turn before storming home down the outside rail.

"I couldn't see him in the television picture and I thought he must have broken down," Begg said. "What a run - it was unbelievable."

All Silent's rider Craig Williams added: "If he had been a European-type horse he would have won the race. He was a bit unsure with the outside rail on his left-hand side and he jumped something about the 200 metres. But once he got out he went whoosh. If he had gone straight he wins for sure."

Meanwhile, jockey Zac Purton endured a nightmare trip from Hong Kong to claim a consolation victory aboard Reggie in the group 3 Premier's Cup at Doomben.

The Peter Moody-trained Reggie scored by three-quarters of a length over Scattergun in the 2200-metre feature, with Canberra four-year-old Macknuckle a further 1½ lengths away third.

Purton was due to arrive in Brisbane from Hong Kong early yesterday but his flight was delayed and he arrived at the course five minutes before he was legged up on Court Command, which eventually finished 15th to Apache Cat.

"I was meant to get in at 9.50 [am, AEST] but the flight was diverted to Townsville," Purton said.

"They had to refuel in Townsville but they put too much fuel on and we had to go back to take some off."

Purton, who hopes to return to ride Court Command in the Stradbroke, skirted wide of the field in the Premier's Cup where Reggie relished the conditions to score the 11th win of her career.

Reggie, a rising nine-year-old, will be put through the national broodmare sale at the Gold Coast next month and may have run her last race.

"She's going through the sale ring next month but whoever buys her might have a horse for the Brisbane Cup," Moody said.

The trainer also saddled up last year's Queensland Oaks and Queensland Derby winner Riva San, which laboured in the heavy conditions to finish 11th.

"I'll be recommending to her [Riva San's] owners that she be retired," Moody said. "She was three wide but she had to cover."