IT’S been a huge couple of days for Kembla Grange’s Rob and Luke Price.
On top of their now retired classy mare Jamaea bringing $1m plus for the Noble family when offered for sale yesterday, the father and son training duo has scooped the pool in their home track premierships.
As well as becoming winners for the first time of both the local and all trainers’ premierships, Satness’ victory in the final event of the season today rocketed him to Horse Of The Year honours.
A $130,000 yearling buy at the Gold Coast in 2020, Jamaea earned just over $1m on the track and was the Prices first stakes placegetter (in the Listed Lonhro Plate at Royal Randwick in February 2021), and their first Group 2 winner (the $1m Percy Sykes Stakes at the same track a couple of months later).
The rising five-year-old mare was retired as a result of wear and tear to her back legs, and was purchased online through Inglis Digital by Yulong for $1,025,000 following a protracted bidding duel.
She will be mated with Yulong’s first season sire Diatronic.
A dashing ride by jockey Adam Hyeronimus in the Benchmark 64 Handicap (1600m) clinched HOTY honours for Satness ($4.40 favorite), and put the seal on both trainers’ premiership for the Price boys.
Ironically, it was the four-year-old gelding’s first victory in 16 starts at home, but he had been placed there eight times.
When Satness began brilliantly, Hyeronimus didn’t hesitate to take up the running. He rated him beautifully and was never going to lose, scoring easily from Celestial Fury ($21) and Dolphina ($11).
Satness earned eight points for his success, lifting him to 42 points for the season – and he became a clear HOTY winner.
His victory also lifted the father and son combination to 12 local wins for the season, five more than closest rival Paul Murray.
The Prices began the final meeting with 84 points in the all trainers’ premiership, and closest rivals, Sydney’s Peter and Paul Snowden, clawed to within four points when Andronicus won the 2YO Maiden Handicap (1300m).
However, Satness put the final margin back to seven points with his all the way triumph.
Keagan Latham was a runaway winner of the jockeys’ premiership with 97 points, and Tyler Schiller snatched the apprentices’ premiership from Zac Lloyd, who did not ride at the meeting as he prepares to win the Sydney junior riding title at Royal Randwick on Saturday, holding a three-win advantage over Newcastle’s Dylan Gibbons.
Schiller was three points behind Lloyd at the start of the meeting, but earned six points with a win on Crewman and two placings.
. Newcastle winds up its season on Saturday, with the winners of both the trainers and jockeys’ premierships all but decided.
Sydney’s Matthew Smith, with 17 wins, has an unassailable lead over Newcastle’s Nathan Doyle (12) and is poised to win his first Newcastle trainers’ title, whilst Keagan Latham (20 wins) is four ahead of Jean Van Overmeire in the jockeys’ premiership.
Whilst he has a stack of ground to make up, Van Overmeire at least has bookings in all eight races, whereas Latham currently has only two rides.
Dylan Gibbons has won the Newcastle apprentices’ premiership by one win from Zac Lloyd (both riding at Randwick on Saturday, of course).
*Words John Curtis, July 27, 2023 - Pics Bradley Photos*
Commentaires