Simone Fisher is used to asking trainers questions following a win on the track. However she may have to get used answering them after Chrichton Bale stamped him RSN927 Sandown Cup credentials with an impressive win in the stayers final at Sandown Park last night.
The Sky Racing presenter headed to Sandown Park with daughter Darcie in tow confident of a good showing from Chrichton Bale in the $17,500 feature. Following an impressive win in his heat and drawing well in box 7 for the final, Chrichton Bale greeted the starter the $2.80 favourite for the event.
After an even start, the son of Bekim Bale emerged through the first turn in the lead and extended the margin to four lengths passing the winning the post the first time. The margin was still four lengths when Hession Boots and Dr Leonardo began their move off the back straight, but despite the pressure from the pursuing pair, Chrichton Bale hung on to claim a determined victory by three quarters of a length in a slick 41.79.
“He hadn’t been beginning well, but after he jumped well last week I thought if he can jump this week he’s a chance,” Simone said after the win.
“He’s been around for a while and there’s been a few time where you think he’s starting to go alright, then he’ll put in a run where he just doesn’t finish off. After last week we thought he might have turned the corner, and with that run under his belt last week I thought if he could jump well again tonight he’d be a chance to hang on.”
Since being sold to new connections in February and being transferred to Fisher’s Lara kennels, Chrichton Bale has had seven starts and despite a failed campaign in Sydney, Fisher believes their new acquisition is starting to hit his straps.
“We took him to Sydney for the group 1 Association Cup, but he didn’t really travel well,” she continued.
“Darren took him up on the Friday night but one of the other dogs in the kennels played up during the night which unsettled him, and his run on the Saturday night wasn’t very good.
“The whole trip really didn’t go to plan at all. We gave him a freshen up when he got back and he has really changed a bit since he first came into the kennel. He looked great when he arrived – we couldn’t have improved his condition – but I think the change of environment has helped him. He’s really starting to come out of his shell.”
The win was the 20th of his career, and the $12,000 first took his prize money beyond $80,000. Now a veteran of 10 starts over the ‘half-mile’ and with consecutive wins under his belt, Fisher now has bigger targets in mind.
“I guess we have to start looking at the Sandown Cup now, seeing as he’s hit a bit of a purple patch. He’s racing with a lot of confidence now and there’s some good races we can start planning out.”
The $250,000 group 1 RSN927 Sandown Cup – the world’s richest race for stayers – will be run on Thursday 26 May. RSN927 Sandown Cup night is feature event of the final week of Sandown’s four week autumn carnival. The carnival features 8 black type races and over $850,000 in prize money, and kicks off with the highly anticipated Bill Collins Speed Star on Thursday 5 May.
Click here for results and replays from last night’s meeting.
Chrichton Bale holds on for the win in the 715m final
