Read what each of the jockeys said about their mounts in the Group 1 Manikato Stakes.
Mark Zahra (Southport Tycoon):
The irony of racing, right? You are the epitome of that, aren’t you? “I thought you were gonna say you were the arsiest bastard ever.
“I just rode him for luck. I mean seeing my other horse in front like that, geez, he gave such a good chase. Me and Ciaron were quietly the confident like he was going really well and I didn’t even have a chance to pull the whip, you know. I was coming through that quick and just got the stride in the right time.
Everyone thought that he might need the run and He’ll be better up in distance, but I think he proved all those people wrong. “Ciaron’s a master trainer; like I went up and trialled him probably six weeks ago, and he was you know a bit fat and he went just okay, and then I went up to Sydney and rode him, and I seen him again the other day with the blinkers on at the jump outs, and he just looked like a new horse.
“He’s just he knows how to get these horses ready at the right time, and I’m happy to be on there the otherside with a roughy winning.
He knows how to get the horses ready, but you also know how to nail them right on the line. “I wasn’t sure if I won or not – I was coming that fast and knowing the other horse , he’s a stargazer.
“He would have thought him and Craig I reckon would have thought they won. And if there’s the only way to beat that horse is to get him late before he can see you coming. Lucky I know him well.”
Luke Nolen (I Wish I Win):
“Terrific. We just didn’t get a drag into the race like we probably thought, well, like we hoped we wouldn’t win pre-race, but he’s run sensational. Bring on the Everest. Karen McEvoy, Coleman. He ran well. He showed nice improvement in his first up run. He’s going to enjoy getting back on a bigger track than mine, so he’s handling himself really well. Jason Collett, Camochi. Yeah, brave. She had a wide run, but stuck on really well.
Damian Lane (Veight):
“He ran a lot better than where he finished, just too sharp for him at this level, 1,200. Up in troops slightly, he’ll be much better.”
Michael Dee (Recommendation):
“I’d say he’s probably come to the end of his prep. He’s had a great prep on top of the ground tonight.Probably didn’t suit him, but I still thought he ran well enough.”
Ben Melham (Johnny Rocker):
“Just reared as the gates opened and it was pretty much game over for him. Ran well.”
Josh Parr (Caballus):
“He flew the gate, we sat in the 1-1 in a good position and he wasn’t able to take advantage of that.“
Blake Shinn (Estriella):
“Looked disappointing on face value. Had to use a little bit of petrol to cross but I was happy to be in the race, travelled well, didn’t find as much as I thought, laid in a bit in the straight. May be better suited like Flemington or a bigger track.
Jason Collett (Kimochi):
“Brave. She had a wide run, but stuck on really well.”
Daniel Stackhouse (Climbing Star): “
Yeah, super run, really happy. We’ll see her return tonight. She’s run really well.”
Kerrin McEvoy (Coleman):
“He ran well. He showed nice improvement in his first up run. He’s going to enjoy getting back on a bigger track than mine, so he’s handling himself really well.”
Craig Williams (Growing Empire):
“He was certainly gallant in defeat today. First time up against those horses. You can see why Ciaron brought him here. The blinkers have worked to switch him on. There’s a bit of pressure early. Probably made us a little bit vulnerable late. It was a good, tough, strong horse, an older horse that beat us in the wire, but he’s only going to improve from that experience. He was very gallant in defeat. It’s a shame we didn’t hold on.”
Jamie Kah (Hayasugi):
“ Just an off day for her, I guess.”