News

Rich Scone Guineas next for winning Star

18th Apr 2010

*AAP Racing - Caryl Williamson - Saturday, 17 April 2010

The rich Scone Guineas will be the next target for up-and-coming three-year-old Star Of Octagonal, a gutsy winner of the South Pacific Classic at Randwick.

The Group Three victory was the biggest so far in trainer Todd Howlett's career and took the gelding's record to two wins from five starts which have also netted three placings.

"This is my biggest win," Howlett said.

"But there won't be too much celebrating. I have to take three horses to Tamworth tomorrow.

"The plan with this horse has always been the Scone Guineas and that's where we will go."

Star Of Octagonal ($4.60) outgunned favourite Neeson ($4.40) over the final 100 metres of the 1400m race to win by half a length with All Legal ($21) an identical margin away third.

Next month's $770,000 Scone Guineas is the richest country race in Australia and is sponsored by William Inglis and Son who collected commission on just $22,000 when Phil and Leanne Moore bought Star Of Octagonal as a yearling.

Having the horse is literally a dream for the Moores.

"I had a dream one night that a horse called Star Of Octagonal won a race," Leanne Moore said.

"We were at the sales and someone saw the yearling coming into the ring and said `that's an Octagonal'.

"I said to Phil, that's the horse, that's Star Of Octagonal, and we bought him."

Although the Moores have raced horses over the years, Star Of Octagonal is by far the best.

"He is our first stakeswinner, in fact he's the only one we've had that's won at a TAB meeting, let alone Randwick," Phil Moore said.

Trainer Joe Pride thought Blake Shinn should have been a little more aggressive on Neeson.

"I thought he cuddled him a bit up the rise," Pride said.

"He had a clear advantage and I thought he might have made more use of him."

Rival trainer Kevin Moses said the third placegetter would also head to Scone.

"The further he goes the better and he's on track for the Scone race," he said.

The race was held up by the reluctance of Lagerphone to go into the barriers and her subsequent scratching.

The filly has become notorious for her barrier manners but stewards told John O'Shea they were not going to be too hard on her after hearing attempts had been made to put her in the gates without a blindfold as had been arranged.

By the time the blindfold was used, Lagerphone had become upset and was not able to be loaded.