The veteran stayer Who Shot Thebarman was contesting the G1 Sydney Cup for the fifth straight year on Saturday, and the 9-year-old gelding built on a runner-up finish last year, as well as in 2015, to win his first Group 1 in Australia and give trainer Chris Waller a third Group 1 on the card. Traveling in the second half of the field with cover early, the gelding bided his time in arrears under Blake Shinn and unleashed a rally coming off the home turn. Extremely wide running into the straight, Who Shot Thebarman used the entire length of the stretch to find the lead but got there in the nick of time to best his compatriot Zacada by a nostril.
“What a thrilling finish–if there is ever a horse that deserves to win a Sydney Cup it's him, only narrowly beaten in two, nine years old and he's got a great group of owners that follow him around every year,” said Shinn, winner of the Nathan Berry Medal for leading rider at The Championships. “This is for the horse, credit to Chris Waller and his team getting him to back up every year. It means a lot to me to be able to do it for those guys, they've stuck solid with me the last couple of years riding him and it's a massive thrill to be able to get him over the line today.” Click for the free Arion.co.nz catalogue-style pedigree.
Saturday, Royal Randwick, Australia
SYDNEY CUP-G1, A$2,159,500 (US$1,677,365/£1,178,142/€1,359,722), ATC, 4-14, Open H., 3yo/up, 3200mT, 3:20.04, gd.
1–WHO SHOT THEBARMAN (NZ) , 55.0, g, 9, by Yamanin Vital (NZ)
1st Dam: Ears Carol (NZ), by Carolingian
2nd Dam: Auditive (NZ), by Random Chance (NZ)
3rd Dam: Auditory (NZ), by Noble Bijou (USA)
O-D M O'Leary, H T O'Leary, M J O'Leary, S C O'Leary, Mrs J C
Nugent-O'Leary, Mrs A M O'Leary, Mrs F J O'Leary & Mrs L
O'Leary; B-B J & Mrs L E Anderton, South (NZ); T-C J Waller; J-B
Shinn; A$1,319,500. Lifetime Record: G1SW-NZ, 51-11-7-4,
A$4,655,586. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
Werk Nick Rating: A.
2–Zacada (NZ), 50.5, g, 5, Zabeel (NZ)–Lacada, by Giant's
Causeway (USA). (NZ$135,000 RNA Ylg '14 NWZJAN). O-A J
Bryant, Sir Patrick & Lady Justine Hogan & D L Armstrong;
B-Andari Ltd, Sir Patrick & Lady Hogan (NZ); T-M Baker & A
Forsman; J-Dean Holland; A$380,000.
3–Sir Charles Road, 50.0, g, 4, Myboycharlie (Ire)–Giant
Mystique, by Giant's Causeway (USA). (NZ$90,000 Ylg 2015
NZB National Yearling Sale). O-Archer Equine Investments Ltd;
B-Miss A Yelland (Vic); T-L O'Sullivan & A Scott; J-A Adkins;
A$195,000.
Margins: NO, 1, SHD. Odds: 17.00, 90.00, 6.00.
Also Ran: Auvray (Fr), Lasqueti Spirit, Patrick Erin (NZ), Doukhan (Ire), Almandin (Ger), Ventura Storm (Ire), Five to Midnight (NZ),
Admiral Jello, Libran (Ire), Lord Fandango (Ger), Peribsen (Ire), Cismontane (NZ), Ormito (Ger), Aloft (Ire).
Click for the Racing Post chart. NSW Video.
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