MONEY lost, nothing lost. Confidence lost, everything lost!
Gosford trainer Jake Hull certainly didn’t lose the latter when he made a trip to Grafton on Sunday with one horse to take on a hotpot on Monday – and came up trumps.
Hull landed the Maiden Handicap (1190m) with lightly-raced High And Marty (Ben Looker) at $7.50, leaving $1.50 favorite Top Act (fifth) in his wake.
“I went to Grafton pretty confident High And Marty would be hard to beat,” Hull said en route home on Monday evening.
“He ran a terrific race first-up when second at Tamworth in a 1000m Maiden on August 24, and his subsequent work indicated he had gone to another level.
“The favorite had good form and whilst I respected that, I still felt our horse was over the odds.
“The race mapped perfectly for him beforehand, and I told Ben to lead.
“It could not have worked out better.”
High And Marty fought on gamely to hold off Here’s Mason ($14) and $91 bolter Tara Koda to break through at only his fourth start.
Hill took the four-year-old son of Flying Artie to Grafton on Sunday, arriving around 4pm and settled him in.
High And Marty was purchased for $14,000 as a weanling, and then passed in when bidding didn’t reach his $10,000 reserve price at the 2022 Magic Millions National yearling sale at the Gold Coast.
“I’m really pleased for the owners who are a great group,” Hull said.
“I was approached to train the horse, and we’ve had nothing but rotten luck with him until now.
“High And Marty didn’t race as a two-year-old and was spelled after making his debut as an early three-year-old at Tamworth in October last year.
“He went off in the float on the way home from Taree after his second start in April, and was very lame the next day and had to be given a break again.”
Hull continued a successful association with winning rider Ben Looker, who has been aboard nearly half of his 23 winners to date.
“Ben and I have been great mates for a long time, continuing on from when I also rode,” Hull said.
“He is a top-class rider and I’m always happy to have him on my horses whenever possible.”
Hull is excited to have his promising three-year-old Ferinzo back in the stable.
The Cosmic Force youngster raced only twice last season, and went for a break after bolting home with the Springboard To Fame 2YO Plate (1175m) at the Grafton July carnival.
“Ferinzo wasn’t a natural two-year-old, but still had the ability to win that race, and some very good horses have won it before,” Hull said.
“I’m sure he is going to make a really nice three-year-old, and I’m hoping he will be the horse to put my stable on the map.”
Story John Curtis, September 9, 2024
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