Mick Price and Michel Kent Jnr were favoured to win Saturday’s Neds Vobis Gold Ingot with their Zoustar gelding Sunfall, but the unloved stablemate River Views staged a remarkable last to first performance.
Few were more shocked than Kent Jnr as the experienced River Views was coming off a five and a half lengths second in a maiden at Wodonga.
The Written Tycoon gelding was the most experienced runner in the race, breaking his maiden at his sixth start.
Last of the twelve runners on the turn, River Views made his run down the centre of the track under Patrick Maloney. Picking off runner after runner, River Views won, running away by a length from the Shamus Award gelding Umgawa with Sunfall a half-head back in third.
“It was a massive surprise; we weren’t sure he could win at all,” Kent said.
“Pat said this morning that he would like to try something different and ride him cold. He was possibly on the better ground. It bodes well for our other horse (Head First), who beat him by nearly six lengths at Wodonga.
“It was fantastic for the owners. Sunfall ran well, but it was a massive win.”
Consigned by his breeders, Diamond Park Breeding and Racing, to the 2020 Inglis Premier Yearling Sale, River Views left the ring unsold when failing to make her $150,000 reserve.
River Views is the first live foal of the Rakti (GB) mare Sparks Alight, a 5-time winner in Melbourne.
A half-sister to Listed Morphettville Guineas winner Sparks Fly (Flying Spur) and the stakes-placegetters El Spark (Elvstroem) and Sparks Burn (Niello), Sparks Alight is a daughter of the well-performed Spartacus mare Dual Spark.
Runner-up in the Group III SAJC Dermody Stakes, Dual Spark is a half-sister to the Listed winner Rancho Spark (Rancho Ruler), who was third to Sports and Falvelon in the Group 1 Oakleigh Plate.
Sparks Alight has a weanling filly by Russian Revolution and was covered by Alabama Express last spring.
River Views is the 16th 2yo winner this season for the Champion Stallion elect Written Tycoon who stands at Yulong Stud for the first time in 2021 with a service fee of $165,000.
