The Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott trained Military Mission brought up the stable’s first success in the Group 3 Hobart Cup when winning easily on Sunday afternoon.
Surprisingly Military Mission was just the stable’s fifth runner in the feature event with Waterhouse first saddling up Stoway in 2003.
Prior to Military Mission, Taikomochi had been their best showing when finishing fourth in 2020 beaten just under two lengths behind Toorak Affair.
Sunday’s Hobart Cup boasted one of the strongest fields in recent years though Military Mission quickly made it a one-act affair.
🔴⚪️ MILITARY MISSION was ably assisted by the talented @Costin_Winona who timed his win in the Hobart Cup to perfection 👏🏼 🏆 Congratulations to all of his owners 🥂 🥳 @david_dwlilley pic.twitter.com/91qflo8g31
— Gai Waterhouse AO (@GaiWaterhouse1) February 12, 2023
“He was fantastic, he just put them away in two strides and went right on with it, I was very easy on him late,” jockey Winona Costin said post race.
Last seen finishing third in the Listed Australia Cup [2400m] at Warwick Farm, stable representative Rebecca Shanks was always confident they brought the right horse.
“This was an absolutely perfect race for him, we knew he was going really well and he is a horse that we can travel with and have full confidence that he will come to the races and perform.”
While it all didn’t go to plan in the early stages of the race, Shanks said Tasmania had always been on their radar and they would now likely set their sights on the Launceston Cup.
“We ideally wanted to be one pair closer, we were a bit worried about being stuck down on the rail, but she [Winona Costin] made the mid-race move to stay one-off and keep Annabel’s horse [Spirit Ridge] out three-wide, it was a great tactical ride,” Shanks said.
“The discussion about coming to Tasmania was first brought up about four-to-six weeks ago, we had a few marked down and hopefully we can continue our success in the Launceston Cup.
