Local trainer Peter Balzen was the toast of his home town after underrated filly Punch On scored a last-stride win in the Magic Millions Guineas at the Gold Coast.
Punch On ($9) got up right on the line to beat Easy Running ($7) by a nose with Sydney filly Happy Hussy ($6) 1-1/4 lengths back third.
Balzen has trained on the Coast for the past 15 years after stints at Doomben and Canterbury and the likeable mentor said the win in the $1 million feature was easily the biggest of his career.
“I’ve won black-type races before but this is clearly the best winner I’ve had,” Balzen said.
“This filly is also the best horse I’ve trained and she will go on and be a very good three-year-old.
“She drew a nice barrier but you always need luck in these big races and I was super confident after they’d gone a hundred metres.”
Paul Hammersley brought Punch On with a perfectly-timed run in the straight to nail Easy Running in the shadows of the post for an impressive win.
“I thought I won by a lot further than that,” Hammersley said.
“My heart was racing on the way back but you don’t get any more for winning by further.”
Easy Running’s rider Damian Browne said the horse ran his heart out and had his chance to win.
“He travelled back off a hectic speed and really sprinted when I asked him to go in the straight,” Browne said.
“I was hoping something might have carried him into the race for a bit longer because he might have got to the front a bit too soon.
“But he dug deep when the other horse got to him and it was a great effort.”
Biggles ($11) ran up to his best to finish fifth and his rider Tim Bell said the horse was a star of the future.
“There wasn’t many horses making ground from back in the field today and he ran super to finish off like he did under 57.5kg,” Bell said.
“He is a very good horse and he’ll be winning a Group race very soon – that is for sure.”
AAP TURF
