Sacred Elixir toyed with his rivals to record a dominant victory in the 2016 JJ Atkins at Eagle Farm this afternoon.
Sacred Elixir was in a league of his own in the 2016 JJ Atkins at Eagle Farm this afternoon. Photo by: Daniel Costello
Sacred Elixir was settled in the second half of the field by jockey Zac Purton in the early stages of the race, while Dreams Aplenty was able to cross from the outside barrier to take up the running.
Dreams Aplenty gave a kick at the top of the straight, but from the 300 metre mark there was only ever going to be one winner and Sacred Elixir ran away from the rest of the field to score a most emphatic JJ Atkins win.
Purton was always confident that Sacred Elixir would win the JJ Atkins after he stormed home against the pattern of the day to finish sixth in the Group 2 BRC Sires’ Produce (1350m) at Doomben on May 28 and he believes that the son of Pour Moi will be a genuine player during the 2016 Spring Racing Carnival.
“After I rode him the other day I rang Dato and told him to get on the plane and come and get the trophy, so he will be happy,” Purton said.
“He is beautiful and there is great size about him.
“He has a pretty good brain, but he hasn’t filled into his body yet and mentally he has a bit to learn.
“Come spring time hopefully we see a nice horse.
“He was very playful before the race, maybe he knew that he was the best horse.”
Sacred Elixir made his racing debut with a narrow defeat in the Timeout Maiden (1200m) at Ellerslie on December 28 last year before he claimed a maiden race win in the Countdown To Karaka Million (1200m) at the same venue on January 9.
He had no luck in running when he finished sixth as favourite in the Listed Karaka Million (1200m) on January 24, but he made his Australian racing debut in the Bundaberg Rum Handicap (1400m) at the Sunshine Coast on May 11 and stamped himself as JJ Atkins favourite with a sixth place finish in the BRC Sires Produce.
Plenty of value was added to the trifecta and first four, with Charnley River and Heart Skipt A Beat both producing easily the best performances of their racing careers to date to finish in the placings.
