Apprentice jockey Lachie Neindorf made his first win at Flemington count when he rode Grahame Begg’s $126 shot Romancer to victory in Saturday’s Listed Straight Six (1200m).
Coming down the closest to the rails, Romancer refused to surrender his lead to defeat the Reward For Effort gelding I'm Telling Ya by a length with a further three-quarters of a length back to the Shamus Award gelding Irish Songs completing a blow-out for punters.
It was the second stakes win for the 7yo Redwood (GB) gelding. His first came in the Listed Mufhasa Stakes as a 3yo at Ellerslie in December 2016 when trained by Donna Logan and Chris Gibbs.
"Funnily enough, my wife said to me last night, ‘I don't think you’ve ever had a horse go around at 150-1’. I had one early that was a long price but I thought this horse was over the odds," Begg told Racing.Com.
"He’s got a very good Flemington record but over a bit further.
"One thing he did this time around, we gave him a jump out on Tuesday on the course proper at Caulfield because obviously with the wet weather in the last couple of weeks we’ve been a bit selective on the tracks we’ve been able to work him on.
"He worked very, very well with Sartorial Splendor.
"He’s a lovely old horse. He’s great to do anything with and to get a listed win with him, the owners have been very supportive.
"We put him away over the summer to bring him back for the winter months and it’s great. They’ve had a lot of thrills out of this horse."
A $110,000 purchase by DM Logan Racing Stables out of the Westbury Stud draft at the 2015 NZB Select Yearling Sale, Romancer advanced his record to nine wins, five seconds and eight thirds from 44 starts with earnings of $600,309.
Romancer is the only winner from the first two named foals left by the unraced Foreplay mare Romantically.a half-sister to Group 1 Australian Cup and Group 1 Mackinnin Stakes winner Sirmione (Encosta De Lago)
Purchased by Baramul Stud for $25,000 at the 2012 National Broodmare Sale, Romantically has a 2yo sister to Romancer named Red Romance.
After foaling a colt by Telperion last spring, Romantically was bred back to Reliable Man (GB).
