News

That's Not It Guineas bound

24th Oct 2010

Racenet - Brad Waters - Saturday, 23 October 2010

That’s Not It has stamped himself as a possible Group II Sandown Guineas contender after the colt’s gritty performance to claim the Group III 1300 Australia Stakes (1200m) at Moonee Valley.

Jockey Chris Symons had the son of Foreplay travelling comfortably in the second half of the field before driving the three-year-old through gaps on the inside to join the leaders at the 150-metre mark.

That’s Not It stretched out strongly in the straight to score his first stakes win to continue a terrific spring for the Mathew Ellerton and Simon Zahra training partnership who won last month’s Group I Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes with Response.

“We have always had a terrific opinion of this horse from day one,” Zahra said. “He has always showed terrific ability but hasn’t had much luck in a couple of his races.

“We thought he might want 1400 metres after his last run at Caulfield but we dropped him back to the 1200 metres and it has paid off.

“It looked like he would want further when he was pushed along midrace but Chris (Symons) got him going and he hit the line well.

“We’ll try him at 1400 metres next time out and if he handles that then we could look at a Sandown Guineas start for him.

Happy Trails looked to be struggling at the halfway mark of the $150,000 race before hitting the line strongly under jockey Damien Oliver to edge out the Robert Smerdon-trained Lone Rock for second.

"He's going to be a nice horse next time," Oliver said. "A stakes class horse.

"He lost it in the middle stages with the speed on but kept finding the line as the others came back to him in the straight."

That's Not It (3c Foreplay x Imco Resource (IRE) (Bluebird (USA)) - Lot 265: 2009 Inglis Classic Yearling Sale - $16,000