King Pedro has thrown his hat into the ring for the spring staying races with a brilliant performance to win the Listed Grafton Cup, navigating a slowly run race.
Trainer Tom Charlton, watching from his Sydney office, admitted to pre-race concerns about how the track was playing for horses coming from behind. His anxiety grew when Tahlia Fenlon, aboard the leader Kaluakoi, significantly reduced the pace during the run.
“I’ve been watching the races all day and I was a bit concerned because nothing was making ground. The track is a good three, they missed all the rain, and it looked a tricky set-up for him,” Charlton commented. “Early on in the race, I was very concerned. They didn’t have the splits up, but it looked like they were going thirteen-and-a-half (seconds to the furlong). It wasn’t pretty and it probably didn’t test the horse’s best assets, but credit to the horse, he picked himself up and overcame it.”
Charlton praised jockey Kerrin McEvoy’s cool under pressure, noting the rider never panicked despite the race not unfolding according to plan.
Instead, McEvoy trusted the last-start Stayers Cup winner, bringing King Pedro ($2.30 fav) with a powerful run down the centre of the track to sweep past Etna Rosso ($18) and Kaluakoi ($11). King Pedro was backed into $2.30 favouritism with Australian betting sites.
It was the three-time Melbourne Cup-winning jockey’s first success in the Grafton Cup (2350m), and he was thrilled to achieve the result for the connections.
“When I got him into the clear, he had a lot of ground to make up, but full credit to the horse. He powered and he was really hitting the line hard,” McEvoy told Sky Racing. “It’s nice to pull it off. He’s a horse that is hopefully going to go to nicer staying races in the spring.”
Charlton echoed this sentiment, confirming King Pedro would be given a short spell before returning to the stable to prepare for a carnival campaign.
The Group 1 Metropolitan (2400m) at Randwick in October is a potential target, and following Thursday’s impressive win, Charlton indicated they could plan with confidence.
“For sure. He’ll have a little freshen up on the way home and we’ll have a think about what races we aim for, but a race like the Metropolitan wouldn’t be a silly idea,” he stated. Check out the latest racing odds.
