Hong Kong based Zac Purton has been booked to ride Kiwi two year old Sacred Elixir in the Group 2 $250,000 Mitavite BRC Sires’ Produce Stakes (1350m) at Doomben on Saturday.
Zac Purton, above, will ride Sacred Elixir in the BRC Sires’ Produce Stakes at Doomben. Photo by Daniel Costello.
The Tony Pike trained Sacred Elixir made a huge impression when he scored a one and a quarter lengths win in a 1400m two year old Handicap at the Sunshine Coast on May 11 with Damian Browne in the saddle.
Purton will take over from Browne on Sacred Elixir who is one of seventeen juveniles nominated for the BRC Sires’ Produce Stakes.
The globetrotting jockey has ridden with success in the past for Raffles Racing and was able to win the 2014 Group 1 $3m The Star Doncaster Mile (1600m) at Randwick in the Autumn and the Group 1 $350,000 George Main Stakes (1600m) at Randwick later that year in the Spring on their tough miler Sacred Falls.
Bruce Sherwin, spokesman for the gelding’s owners Raffles Racing, has reported that Sacred Elixir has come through his run at the Sunshine Coast in fine order and is looking forward to seeing the gelding progress onto the Group 1 $600,000 BMW J.J. Atkins (1600m) at Eagle Farm on June 11.
“Everything has gone well with him since Caloundra and the 1350 metres on Saturday fits very well going forward to the 1600 of the J.J. Atkins,” Sherwin told The Informant.
“That’s his target and Tony is very happy with him.”
Sacred Elixir has only been to the races four times and has been in the winner’s stall on two occasions with his other win being a 1200m two year old Plate at Ellerslie on January 9.
Sacred Elixir will again be up against the John and Chris Meagher trained Meet And Greet who finished third in the race at the Sunshinne Coast.
John O’Shea will have the J J Atkins favourite Souchez going around in the BRC Sires’ Produce Stakes and the Lonhro colt is coming off a third behind Winning Rupert and Attention in the Group 2 $175,000 Moet & Chandon Champagne Classic (1200m) at Doomben on May 14.
The Peter and Paul Snowden trained Attention is also among the nominations for the BRC Sires’ Produce Stakes along with his stablemate Jericho who finished a game second to Archives in the Listed $100,000 McGrath Estate Agents Hampden Stakes (1200m) at Doomben last Saturday.
Early market order for the J J Atkins at Ladbrokes.com.au: $3.60 Souchez, $6.50 Cadogan, $7 Chipanda, $8 Attention, $10 Redouble, Sacred Elixir, $11 Jericho, $13 Inference, Nikitas, $15 Biased Witness, Royal Tithe, $17 Candika, Curvature, Hair Trigger, Jaws Of Steel, Kent.
