News

The most ringing of endorsements as Peal Of Bells romps in

10th Jun 2013

The Sunday Telegraph - Ray Thomas - Sunday, 8 June 2013

"AFTER I rode Peal Of Bells work on Wednesday, I thought he would win by 10 lengths!"

Trainer Gwenda Markwell made the comment immediately after the race and she was very nearly right - Peal Of Bells put a six-and-three-quarter lengths margin between himself and his rivals when he romped home in the $100,000 Stayers Cup (3200m) at Royal Randwick yesterday.

Champion jockey Robert Thompson, rider of Peal Of Bells, then admitted: "Gwenda told me he would win by 10 and he probably could have - but there is no point pushing hard when you are that far in front."

Peal Of Bells ($6.50) turned the Stayers Cup into a one-horse race as he zoomed through on the inside coming into the straight to take the lead before careering away to win by a huge margin from Thubiaan ($5.50 favourite) with Piazza San Pietro ($8) three-quarters of a length away third.

Markwell, who has her stable base at Kembla Grange, produced an outstanding training performance to have Peal Of Bells in peak condition for yesterday's marathon stamina test despite having only four lead-up runs at distances ranging from 1400m to 2120m.

But the five-year-old near-black gelding pulled up superbly after the race and would not have blown a candle out.

"He's very clean-winded, a natural stayer," Markwell said. "We train him a lot at the beach and I knew I had him fit enough for this race. I still ride a lot of my horses work and I've been riding Peal Of Bells and he just felt so good in his action this week."

Markwell said Peal Of Bells may stay in training for the Queensland Cup (3200m) next month but the trainer has even more ambitious long-term plans for the stayer.

"It would not surprise me to see this horse in a Melbourne Cup, if not this year then maybe next year," Markwell said. "You know he will stay a strong 3200m and if it happened to be wet on Cup Day, who knows?"

Thompson, the most successful jockey in Australian racing history with more than 3870 career winners, said he was confident of winning a long way from home.

"When Thubiaan went around the field and put some pace into it, my horse relaxed really well and was travelling beautifully," he said. "At the 1000m he was going so well I knew it was going to take a good horse to beat me."

Peal of Bells (Clangalang-Pearl Quest) was offered by Park Lane Stud at 2008 Inglis Great Southern Weanling Sale, but passed in at a mere $2,250.