Lightly-raced Barbed landed an amazing betting plunge when he recorded a tough win in the Listed Heritage Stakes (1100m) at Royal Randwick this afternoon.
Barbed maintained his unbeaten record in the Heritage Stakes at Royal Randwick this afternoon. Photo by: Steve Hart
Barbed ($5.50) opened in betting markets for the race at $14 but the Darley colt was well backed in the lead-up to and ended up starting the event as second favourite from Diamond Oasis ($3.60).
Gary Portelli-trained I’m All The Talk, who was a big drifter in betting, set a quick tempo early but faded quickly and Diamond Oasis looked the winner when he hit the front before dying on his run with 100 metres left to run.
Gai Waterhouse-trained Whittington fought gamely but Barbed was too strong in the final stages of the race and flew home up the inside of the track to record his second victory from as many race starts.
Trainer Peter Snowden said that he was impressed with the Canny Lad gelding’s first-up victory at Canterbury in May but he admitted it was suspended stable jockey Kerrin McEvoy who convinced him to give the three-year-old the opportunity against Group quality horses.
“Kerrin has always been very bullish about him and I’ve been happy with him this entire parathion,” Snowden said after the race.
“I worked him with Guelph two weeks ago and Kerrin said you have to go up the ladder with him.
“This was an ideal starting point but looking at these horses this morning I thought that geez this might be tough.
“I’m glad that I started him now.”
The nature of the victory indicated that Barbed might be able to step-up to Group 1 level later in the 2013 Spring Racing Carnival in the Group 1 Coolmore Stud Stakes (1200m) but Snowden said he is unsure whether the gelding is up to that level.
“The Roman Consul is a race that I have always had in mind if he went well today,” Snowden said.
“As long as he pulls up ok that is his next run.
“I’m not quite sure he is ready for there but we will take it one race at a time and see who is there and make a decision after that.”
The victory gave Snowden and jockey Hugh Bowman a running double at Royal Randwick after they combined to win the Group 2 Tea Rose Stakes (1400m) with Guelph earlier in the day.
