Malavio Upstages Group 1 Winners In Tramway Stakes

Malavio upstaged a field full of Group 1 winners to win the Group 3 Tramway Stakes (1400m) in a head-bobbing finish with Darley gelding Bello in the sixth race at Royal Randwick this afternoon.

Malavio

Malavio will head towards the Epsom Handicap after his upset victory in the Tramway Stakes. Photo by: Steve Hart

The Randwick track has favored on-pace runners all day and that trend continued in the Tramway Stakes, with the two leaders clearing away from the rest of the field in the concluding stages of the race.

Malavio started his spring campaign with an impressive fourth place finish behind Rebel Dane in the Group 3 Show County Quality (1200m) but was still at double figure odds to record his first win at Group level and give trainer Steve Englebrecht his first Group winner since Absolute Champion won the 2004 edition of the Pago Pago Stakes (1200m)

“It was an unbelievable run and an unbelievable ride,” a delighted Englebrecht said after the race.

“He had to do a little bit of work early but he has plenty of ticker the horse.

“He might be an Epsom horse.”

Jockey Nathan Berry recorded his first ever Group 3 win on Va Pensiero in The Run To The Rose (1200m) last Saturday and was thrilled to score another big win on a horse that holds a special place in his heart.

“It means a bit to me this horse,” Berry said.

“I’ve done a lot of work with him and Steve and the owners have been of great support to me my whole career.

“He is tough, he didn’t do much right down the straight but he did the job in the end.

“You have eight Group 1 winners in that and he is carrying 57.5 so I am over the moon.”

Horses at the back of the field had no chance to feature in the finish but Royal Descent (3rd) and Sacred Falls (4th) both indicated that they will be contenders in bigger races during the 2013 Spring Racing Carnival with impressive fast-finishing efforts.

About The Author

Thomas Hackett

Thomas is a passionate and opinionated racing journalist and punter who has been obsessed with horse racing since he backed Saintly to win the 1996 Melbourne Cup. An international racing enthusiast, he has his finger on the pulse of racing news not just from Australia but all around the world.