Hidden Motive may not have delivered a dominant display, but the talented colt did just enough to grab a narrow win in the opening race at Randwick and keep his spring Group 1 ambitions firmly on track.
The $1.65 betting sites favourite survived a scare from rank outsider Kujenga ($81), scraping home by a nose in the Precise Air Handicap (1100m), with Matima ($3.80) just a long head behind in third.
Jockey Ash Morgan admitted it wasn’t a perfect run, with Hidden Motive stoked up early by rival Dubbo Boy.
“Probably that first ten or fifteen metres he was a little switched off, but I let him roll up, then that horse came to him and we just fired each other up a little bit,” Morgan said.
“It was a really good win. I know it was a very small margin but he was entitled to get beaten.”
With trainer Nathan Doyle away in Brisbane to oversee Churchill’s Choice in the Queensland Oaks, Kurrinda Bloodstock’s Sean Driver confirmed post-race that Hidden Motive will now head to the paddock ahead of a spring prep aimed at the Group 1 Coolmore Stud Stakes (1200m).
“He’s a four to five-lengths better horse than what we saw today,” Driver said.
“The big aim is the Coolmore (Stud Stakes). He will have two weeks off but as you can see he was fourth-up today and he’s still a big, burly looking colt so he will be on a strict diet.”
“Wait until you see him on top of the ground. At home, what he’s shown us, he is absolutely electric.”
Purchased for $120,000 at the Magic Millions Yearling Sale after initially being passed in for $200,000, Hidden Motive had early physical concerns, but Driver trusted Doyle to manage them.
“He had moderate sesamoiditis but Nathan is such a good trainer and I was confident he would manage the colt,” Driver said.
“He’s far better than what he showed today. He over-raced, he got pestered in front and did a bit of work there. He will improve a lot.”
The stable capped off a good day with a quick double as Hellfire Express took out the Midway Handicap (1500m) shortly after.
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