A last to first win by Lanciato in the Group 3 $150,000 Seuz Newcastle Newmarket Handicap (1400m) at Newcastle today will see him head towards the Doncaster Mile on the first day of The Championships.
Lanciato, above in green and brown colours, will now head towards the Doncaster Mile at Randwick. Photo by Steve Hart.
Lanciato was sent out as the $3.80 favourite coming off a win in the Listed $150,000 Carrington Stakes (1400m) at Rosehill on January 27 but the punters had their hearts in their mouths when the field turned for home with Rachel King still sitting quiet on the five year old at the tail of the field.
King knew that she had plenty of horse underneath her and when she eased Lanciato to the outside of the field, the favourite motored home over the top of the leaders and went on to record a one length win over Mister Sea Wolf ($6) with Shiraz ($17) running home for third.
The Newcastle Newmarket Handicap had been a long term plan for Lanciato and trainer Mark Newnham said he would now concentrate on gaining a start in the Group 1 $3m The Star Doncaster Mile (1600m) at Randwick on April 7.
“I think that is where we will head, we just need the weather Gods on our side,” Newnham said.
Newnham said that it had been a great team effort to see the plan come together like it did today and praised the ride of Rachel King who timed her run on Lanciato to perfection to bring the gelding from last on the home turn to claim victory.
“It has been the plan all along but I tell you what he is a hard horse to watch,” Newnham said.
“He leaves you wondering if he is going to make it in time.”
“It is a big advantage to have someone on him who has enough faith in him to ride him that way and once he got clear ground and wound up, he can let down like that.”
“He went from looking like he was in a lot of trouble with three hundred to go, but a hundred to go he had them covered.”
“It was a good team effort to have him come through from where we started this preparation with this race in mind the whole time it is really satisfying.”
“He is a routine horse, he likes his races spaced, he likes to be ridden a certain way and he loves good ground.”
“He had all of those factors today and Rachel put in a ten out of ten ride on him.”
Lanciato is now a $21 chance at Ladbrokes.com.au for the Doncaster Mile.
