El Vencedor storms back to form
Trainer Stephen Marsh breathed a sigh of relief at Ellerslie on Tuesday as reigning New Zealand Horse of the Year El Vencedor (7 g Shocking – Strictly Maternal by O’Reilly) returned to form with a dominant win in the Balmerino Stakes (Gr 3, 2000m).
The gelding was a standout last season, capturing three consecutive Group 1 races before an unplaced run in Hong Kong’s QEII Cup (Gr 1, 2000m). His spring campaign had been steady without success, highlighted by a runner-up finish in the Livamol Classic (Gr 1, 2040m), and punters rallied behind him as a $1.50 favourite to rediscover his best.
Under regular rider Wiremu Pinn, El Vencedor began sharply and settled behind Sagunto (O’Reilly), who set a solid tempo. Pinn bided his time before unleashing the gelding’s trademark turn of foot, powering clear to score by 2.4 lengths over Diamond Jak (Jakkalberry), with Sharp ‘N’ Smart (Redwood) another 0.7 lengths behind in third.
“I was bloody nervous before that race,” Marsh admitted. “There’s the expectation and you just hope such a horse is back to his best. I thought Wiremu rode him beautifully, he didn’t panic, and the race panned out how we thought. I’m very relieved.
“I’m very proud of the horse, it’s great to see him back at his best. Wiremu gets on really well with him and deserves that win, he helps us out a lot.”
Looking ahead, Marsh said the seven-year-old would follow a similar summer campaign to last year’s season.
“It’s a pretty easy path to follow,” he said. “We might end up down at the TAB Mile [Gr 1, 1600m] and then come back up for the Zabeel Classic [Gr 1, 2000m]. Those big summer 2000-metre races are where he’ll be.”