Grand Prairie secured a maiden stakes win in the Group 3 Up And Coming Stakes, but the moment was overshadowed by a serious incident that left Tyreek and jockey Dylan Gibbons crashing through the running rail at Randwick.
The field bunched at the 300m when Crown The King drifted out and Aerodrome rolled in, tightening Providence and Grand Prairie. James McDonald’s mount was forced back inside, making contact with Tyreek and causing the fall.
Gibbons was fortunate to escape major harm, while Tyreek sustained a leg injury and was taken to Randwick Equine Centre for treatment.
Snowden, while pleased with his colt’s performance, expressed sympathy. “He’s done a good job and he deserved a nice race,” Snowden said. “I’m glad he’s won. It was just unfortunate with the incident today. He has been racing well and he relaxed super, which was great, and he was good at the end which was good to see. It’s a good result.”
Snowden’s gear adjustment, removing the winkers, helped Grand Prairie switch off and see out 1300m strongly. His trainer said a tilt at the Golden Rose is under consideration. “I will have to think about that… if he ran well today I would think about the Golden Rose for him but I just need to see how he’s pulled up.”
Stewards commenced an inquiry into the incident, with the investigation ongoing at the time of writing.