A slender winning margin and a somewhat laboured performance at Rosehill Gardens on Saturday belied the tenacity shown by Steel Will, who managed to find a way to win despite a testing race.
The colt demonstrated admirable grit when under pressure, finishing strongly to secure the win in the Kia Ora Bloodlines to Headlines Handicap over 1300 metres.
Hall of Fame trainer Chris Waller spoke after the race about his significant ambitions for Steel Will during the spring carnival period.
“Steel Will is a nice, progressive horse,” Waller commented. “He is well bred and it is always good to have horses with (owner) Sir Owen Glenn and he has a good one here.”
Steel Will, heavily backed into $1.65 favouritism, was ridden by James McDonald to a neck victory over the fast-finishing Savvy Diamond ($13), with Plagiarism ($5.50) a further three-quarters of a length behind in third.
Waller admitted that it was not “perfect placement” to debut Steel Will in a Sydney Saturday class race, having broken his maiden at Wyong less than two weeks prior.
“He was on a quick back-up and the rain has just come so this was a stepping stone for the colt,” Waller explained. “It’s good to get some prizemoney in the back as it will make it easier to get him into the better races.”
Steel Will, a three-year-old colt by I Am Invincible, is out of Pittsburgh Flyer, the dam of former brilliant mare September Run, whom Waller trained to win twice at Group 1 level in the Coolmore Stud Stakes and William Reid Stakes.
“I trained his sister September Run and she might have been the Champion Three-year-old of her year,” Waller said. “Bearing in mind Steel Will is September Run’s brother, we will probably keep him to shorter races.
“We will look at either the Run To The Rose here or go to Melbourne for the Poseidon Stakes at Flemington. If we are thinking of the Coolmore it would be good to give him some experience up the Flemington straight.
“Steel Will has got the breeding and he’s got the looks so he has a lot going for him.”
Punters seeking competitive racing odds would have had a tense wait before the favourite Steel Will ultimately prevailed.
