Sainthood justified trainer Rock Worthington’s faith in him by racing away for a convincing win in the $130,000 Listed Wagga Gold Cup on Friday.
Sainthood was aided by an outstanding ride from champion jockey Glen Boss who had the four-year-old midfield in the run in the 2000m feature before he made his move around the field coming to the home turn.
The son of Lonhro raced to the front 200m from home and surged clear to defeat Barlagarney by 1-1/4 lengths with two lengths to Twin Wing in third.
“When you put on the best, you get the best,” Worthington said as Boss returned to scale to scale on Sainthood to the cheers of the big crowd.
It was Boss’s first ride on Sainthood and his first Wagga Gold Cup victory.
Sainthood started the $3.40 favourite and Boss said the gelding felt like the winner a long way from home.
“He travelled like the winner all the way, he put it beyond doubt quickly in the straight and was strong to the line,” Boss said.
“I love winning the country Cups.”
Sainthood performed well without winning during the Sydney autumn carnival but Worthington had said the gelding was a run behind after he lost his rider at the beginning of the Group Three Newcastle Newmarket earlier in the campaign.
“The horse deserves today because as I said before we’d been a bit behind in our preparation,” the trainer said.
“We were lucky to have three weeks from his last run (fourth in the JRA Plate) to this run, we caught up, and it was nice the horse was able to show people what he can do.”
Worthington will now send Sainthood for a spell and target the Group One Epsom Handicap in the spring.
He believes this preparation, which netted two Listed wins, will be the making of the horse as it helped to season him and toughen him up.
“I thought I would hold him back from the Doncaster this year because it would’ve been like throwing a kid to the wolves,” he said.
Meanwhile, jockey Chris O’Brien guided My Vegas to victory in Friday’s Motor Traders Association Hcp (1000m), one of three wins from three rides over the two-day carnival.
My Vegas is also entered for the Marshall Motors Hcp (1100m) at Rosehill on Saturday and trainer John McNair said he intended to back him up.
“He pulled up well, I’ll check his legs in the morning but at this stage everything is good,” McNair said.