Kuroshio produced a career best performance to lead from start to finish in the Group 2 McEwen Stakes (1000m) at Moonee Valley today.
Kuroshio upset a quality field to win the Group 2 McEwen Stakes in impressive fashion at Moonee Valley today. Photo by: Race Horse Photos Australia
The Darley colt started his campaign with a disappointing seventh place finish in the Group 3 San Domenico Stakes (1100m) at Rosehill on August 17 but looked like a different horse when recording a dominant two lengths victory from favourite Moment Of Change and General Truce.
Moment Of Change, an easing favourite before the race, received a lovely run on the rails and had every chance to start his preparation with a win but could not catch Kuroshio who was simply too fast in the final stages of the race.
Paul Snowden was bullish about Kuroshio’s chances in the race earlier in the week and was clearly delighted to pick up a big week after the stable had no luck at either Flemington or Royal Randwick last weekend.
“It was a total forget run the other day, he was hampered in the gates when the other one went off,” Snowden said after the race.
“He is a quick horse and if he was ever going to beat a horse the quality of Moment Of Change it was going to be today because he was sent down in good order and he raced accordingly.
“He is just an ultra-professional; he jumps well and was able to cross them quite easily.
“Froggy (jockey Craig Newitt) was able to give him a breather mid-race and the plan was to do that and pinch a couple of lengths going for home.
“He was just too good and too quick.”
Leading jockey Craig Newitt was riding Kuroshio for the first time and gave the son of Exceed And Excel a brilliant ride but was quick to pay credit to the training performance of the Snowden team.
“It was just very good placement a three-year-old in a race like this, he gets in with no weight,” Newitt said.
“He was scooting along and I just got one cheap sectional between the 700 and the 500 and once he started to negotiate that corner I let him roll with no weight on his back.
“He pinched a break and was too good.”
The win was Kuroshi’s first since he won the Group 3 Blue Diamond Prelude (1200m) during the autumn.
