Chris Munce has etched another significant moment into Ipswich Cup history, this time sharing the victory with his son, Corey.
Munce, a former jockey, won the Listed staying feature aboard Oompala in 1994, a horse that later achieved third place in the Melbourne Cup.
His training career saw its initial Ipswich Cup win with Smart Meteor in 2022, and Kaluakoi added to this achievement on Saturday.
Munce reminisced about his past successes: “Oompala was a very good galloper. He won the Caloundra Cup, got beaten in the Grafton Cup, then went and ran third in the Melbourne Cup. To be able to ride a winner and now train two, one with Corey, it’s a great thrill.”
The trainer acknowledged that Kaluakoi’s lack of recent middle-distance racing this preparation was his only reservation heading into Saturday.
However, any such concerns were quickly dispelled once the race began.
Munce relayed his conversation with Corey after the first circuit: “I said to Corey when he got past the winning post that he was going to be hard to beat because he pricked his ears down the hill and relaxed lovely. He’s got no real turn of foot, but he’s a tough galloper.”
Kaluakoi, the $4.60 favourite, led throughout and responded strongly for apprentice Emily Lang, winning by three-quarters of a length from Encoder ($4.80). Sun Worshipper ($21) finished third.
Lang, securing her fifth stakes victory, confirmed she acted on Chris Munce’s advice to ride aggressively.
She explained the instructions she received: “He did say to me on Thursday at the trials that he didn’t want (the horse) to be ridden pretty. The last four or so weeks have been really tough. I obviously don’t have a claim anymore, and with all the Sydney and Melbourne jockeys coming up, my manager has had to do a really tough job of getting me rides. When I get the opportunity from a stable like Chris and Corey Munce, it makes all the difference and it’s good to get the job done.”
In the Listed Eye Liner Stakes (1350m), the Michael Freedman-trained Soothsayer, with Daniel Moor in the saddle, achieved victory from a wide barrier.
Lee Freedman, managing his brother’s Gold Coast stable, expressed surprise at the six-year-old’s rapid improvement this campaign, suggesting he could develop into a useful miler next season.
“I’m a bit flabbergaster to be honest because he’s gone from a benchmark 85 to a Group Three. He may have come back this ‘prep’ better than ever. I always thought he’d be a good horse for a race like the Epsom (Handicap), so that may be the race you see him in,” Lee Freedman commented.
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