Good things come to those who wait, and for connections of the improving stayer So You Are, the horse has navigated a pre-race hurdle to now be a genuine Melbourne Cup prospect.
The Bjorn Baker-trained $3.30 favourite, expertly steered by Tommy Berry, dug deep to hold off the challenge from Tempesti ($31) by three-quarters of a length in Saturday’s St Leger Stakes (2600m) at Randwick, thus earning a ticket to Australia’s most celebrated race.
However, the drama almost unfolded before the starting gates opened.
So You Are was found to be missing a lead bag before parading, requiring it to be unsaddled, its gear re-weighed, and then re-equipped.
Baker’s assistant, Glen Lobb, was handling the final preparations when the horse delivered a shove that knocked him backwards and off his feet.
Mercifully, Lobb was uninjured. While So You Are appeared agitated by the extra attention, he put it aside to secure his third successive win.
“Bit of a mistake. It worked out thankfully well,” Baker said.
“I did say to Tommy (Berry), ‘I’ll give you a bit of cash if you tell ‘Stuey’ (owner Stuart Ramsey) it was your fault’.
“He (So You Are) is an iron man, and he was good late. I knew he’d keep finding and massive thrill to win on a day like today. How special.”
So You Are currently carries 52kg for the Melbourne Cup (3200m), and Baker confirmed it is their intention for the horse to compete.
“He’s a really, really good stayer. I can’t wait to see him over two miles,” he stated.
“I’m sure he’ll be able to get into the Melbourne Cup off that, so hopefully he comes through well.
“I’ve only had him for the four runs, so I’m the lucky benefactor of a really well-trained, straightforward racehorse.”
Klondike ($7.50) finished its race strongly to grab third, with jockey Zac Lloyd indicating the import was on the cusp of a victory.
“He went very well. I think he is ready to win,” Lloyd commented.
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