Buck Forty delivered one of his more impressive performances last night when taking out his heat of the Sir John Dillon Memorial.
He was slow to begin then motored through the field and took control approaching the home turn, before accelerating away to win by an increasing eight lengths in 34.08 – the fastest heat win.
Handler on the night and wife of trainer Jason Thompson, Seona, was ecstatic with the run.
“I was worried after he was slow to begin but in hindsight it was probably the best thing for him as he was able to drop to the fence. To power to the line the way he did and to run that time coming from last was unbelievable. Honestly, we think last night was the best win he’s had,” said Thompson.
If Buck Forty is to win next week’s Sir John Dillon Memorial final, he will reach $370k in prize money – a substantial amount with only two group race wins next to his name.
“He’s worked hard to earn the prize money he has – he hasn’t won a heap of big races, he’s raced so consistently for a long time. We’re super proud of him.”
The kennel will also have Aeroplane Tommy engaged in the final.
“Tommy does need things to go his way but I thought he was a bit stiff last night. He doesn’t have the same traits as Buck Forty but it was still a super run and he has earned his spot in the final.”
Aeroplane Tommy and Buck Forty have drawn well in next Thursday’s final in boxes 2 and 3 respectively.
“We’re happy with where they’re drawn – all the speed is on their outside so they should be able to find the rail. We couldn’t be happier though you can’t go into group races with too much confidence, you always need a bit of luck!”
Polijuice Potion and Dash Of Rose were the other heat winners on the night.
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Buck Forty takes out heat 3 of the Sir John Dillon Memorial
