Having gone winless in six previous attempts, Central Europe finally broke through for his maiden victory in a spectacular fashion, suggesting this first win will not be his last.
With trainer Chris Waller engaged at Flemington for the Cox Plate, Hall of Famer Darren Beadman represented the stable and spoke highly of Central Europe’s performance.
“We obviously thought a lot of the colt early days as a two-year-old running him in the better class two-year-old races,” Beadman stated. “He’s still doing a few of the little things wrong that he needed to be doing right in his early races.”
“But the trip down to Melbourne and running in a tough race, the Caulfield Guineas (fourth to Warwoven) has helped him. Today, the plan was to keep it very simple in the first half of the race then we had to trust his acceleration and his turn of speed. What he did to today was what he has always promised at home.”
The $3.40 favourite, Central Europe, unleashed a brilliant burst of acceleration from the top of the straight, coming from near the rear to easily defeat his rivals by three-and-a-quarter lengths. Why So Hard ($3.60) finished second, with Lafite ($5) a further one-and-a-quarter lengths back in third.
Beadman mentioned that the only moment of concern came near the 1000-metre mark when the pace eased, and Central Europe showed a tendency to get a bit keen.
“He wanted to get on the ‘chewy’ a bit but Jason (Collett, jockey) has beautiful hands and got him back underneath him,” Beadman explained. “He had curled him up like a coiled spring coming into the corner and once he let loose on him he was all class.”
Jockey Jason Collett commented that Central Europe is still learning how to race but when the colt “executes correctly,” he possesses significant talent.
“James (McDonald, jockey) spoke to me on Wednesday about him which gave me confidence,” Collett said. “Even just the way Darren (Beadman) spoke to me about him before the race today filled me with more confidence. Everyone knows about the ability he has. He just needs to get it right. This was a good stepping stone.”
Central Europe pulled away from his rivals for a clear win, but the performance of the runner-up, Why So Hard, was also full of promise.
Why So Hard, in only his third career start, showed great tenacity to rally under pressure and claim second prize.
Michael Hawkes, who trains Why So Hard in partnership with his brothers Wayne and John, described the effort as “a superior effort” from their lightly-raced, promising three-year-old.
“He had to work early down the back straight, they didn’t make it easy for him,” Hawkes said. “He was going to get caught wide and had to use him a little bit to get across. Then he got flushed out again and dropped the bit. He is still a ‘baby’ and doesn’t know what he is doing yet, he is doing it on raw talent.”
“Look, he got beaten by a seasoned horse and it’s a good horse, but to still run where he did was a very good effort under the circumstances. He has gone from 1200m to 1600m, done it from barrier to box, he has run enormous and is going to be better with time – he’s a proper horse!”
Central Europe ran away from his rivals for an easy victory, but the effort of the runner-up, Why So Hard, was also very promising.
Why So Hard, in only his third career start, showed real grit to fight back and secure second place.
Michael Hawkes, who trains Why So Hard with his brothers Wayne and John, stated it was “a superior effort” from the promising three-year-old.
“He had to work early down the back straight, they didn’t make it easy for him,” Hawkes said. “He was going to get caught wide and had to use him a little bit to get across. Then he got flushed out again and dropped the bit. He is still a ‘baby’ and doesn’t know what he is doing yet, he is doing it on raw talent.”
“Look, he got beaten by a seasoned horse and it’s a good horse, but to still run where he did was a very good effort under the circumstances. He has gone from 1200m to 1600m, done it from barrier to box, he has run enormous and is going to be better with time – he’s a proper horse!”
Punters looking for the best value can find competitive betting markets for the race at leading Australian bookmakers.
