Lindermann, a true warhorse, has etched his name into the annals of racing history by becoming one of the select few to win the prestigious Craven Plate three times. The gelding dictated the terms from the front, achieving his tenth career victory and pushing his prize money well beyond the $6 million mark.
This remarkable achievement at Randwick on Saturday sees Lindermann join the exclusive company of Gloaming (1919, 2022, 2024), Phar Lap (1929-31), and Chatham (1932-34), who are the only other thoroughbreds to have won the Craven Plate three years in a row. Lindermann has now added the race to his impressive resume for the third consecutive year.
Darren Beadman, representing winning trainer Chris Waller, expressed his profound admiration for the seven-year-old, highlighting his cherished status within the stable.
“He’s an absolute ripper,” Beadman said. “He just goes about his business, he’s tradesman-style. He’s won over $6 million in prizemoney. He’s a very kind horse. At trackwork, he goes out and gives his all. He just doesn’t put a bad morning in, or a bad afternoon.”
Lindermann’s triumph came in his fifth start of a competitive campaign, which notably included a victory in the Chelmsford Stakes (1600m) the previous month. He did have a rare off-day when he failed to beat a rival home in the Underwood Stakes (1800m) at Caulfield two starts prior, but Beadman suggested this was due to the gelding’s strong preference for racing in the clockwise direction.
“Melbourne the other day, when Blake (Shinn) rode him, he cantered to the gates, wanted to get to the outside fence. When he jumped out of the gates he wanted to go right. He’s just a true right-handed horse,” he explained.
Jockey Rawiller, who has cultivated a superb partnership with Lindermann, was elated to team up for another win. He indicated that the horse’s energetic disposition before the race was a clear sign of its preparedness.
“He left like an Oakleigh Plater and had them crossed in seven metres,” Rawiller commented. “To some degree at the half-mile, if he feels them pop out to have a shot at him, he grabs the bridle and wants to go. It’s ‘Woah, big boy – a long way to be going from here’. He went another furlong there in a nice comfort zone and quickened terrifically, like he has been doing.”
The $2.25 favourite, Lindermann, was never seriously tested, winning by a length from Tom Kitten ($3.10), with Eliyass ($7) finishing a further half-length back in third place.
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