News

Portion has things under Control

24th Sep 2016

The Lindsay Park team of David & Ben Hayes and Tom Dabernig made it back-to-back wins in the Inglis Cup (2000m) when Portion Control held off stablemate Kifaah at Caulfield today.

As was half the field, Portion Control was on trial at the distance and many of his owners had expressed their concerns to their trainers about their gelding’s prospects of running out the trip in the $250,000 feature.

But Dabernig was never too concerned and jockey Craig Williams gave the four-year-old every hope to get the trip, settling midfield the fence before peeling off the leader’s back at the top of the straight.

“Until you see them run over the trip, you never really know, but he’d been racing like he’d get it and I thought he was quite strong on the line,’’ a jubilant Dabernig said post-race.

“A lot of the owners were a bit concerned but I think this will be his preferred trip now moving forward.

“He was well ridden and the horse probably has another string to his bow now that he’s won over 2000m.’’

Portion Control (Snitzel x Divisible) was a $170,000 purchase for Lindsay Park Bloodstock from Gilgai Farm at the 2014 Inglis Premier Yearling Sale.

Today’s win took his career earnings to just shy of $225,000 from just 11 career starts.

“We targeted the race some time back for both horses. Why wouldn’t you, when there’s a quarter of a million on the line,’’ Dabernig said.

“We love buying from Inglis and it’s great to win here on your home turf and get the job done, especially for such great prizemoney.’’

The Hayes and Dabernig team won the race last year with Firehouse Rock.

The Inglis Cup was the final race of the 2014 Inglis Yearling Sale graduates race series, which carried a $50,000 bonus to the trainer who had the most wins throughout.

NSW trainers Bjorn Baker and Rod Northam will share the prize, after both had two winners.

Baker won the 3YO Inglis Sprint at Randwick with Lady Sniper and the 3Y0 Inglis Bonus at Albury with Rosaleisha while Northam won the 2YO Inglis Nursery at Randwick with Odyssey Moon and the 2YO Inglis Challenge at Scone with Sargent Doakes.

The first event of the next race series, for 2016 Yearling sale graduates, is the 2YO Inglis Banner (1000m) at The Valley on Cox Plate Day, October 22.