It’s been a long time between drinks for six year-old Deep Field gelding Riddle Me That, who had not won a race since 2020, but he relived the glory days when taking out the $200,000 VRC Winter Championship Final (1600m) at Flemington on Saturday.
Trained by Matt Laurie and ridden by Jye McNeil, he was sent off at odds of 40-1, but he made light of the lack of interest from punters to forge clear and win as he pleased.
McNeil revealed that as he was a late replacement rider, he didn’t get the chance to talk to trainer Matt Laurie, who is currently in New Zealand.
“He’s not here today, so I just had the stable representative and it seems to be a winning combination,” McNeil joked.
“I drew well, so I wanted to use that barrier draw (two) today and we landed in the perfect position.
“At the top of the straight, it was just a matter of manoeuvring into the clear. I was going well enough, and he produced a nice finish.”
Retained to race by his breeder, Riddle Me That has the overall record of six wins and eight placings from 29 starts with earnings topping $540,000 and this was his third stakes win.
Riddle Me That is the first stakes-winner among 10 winners from good producing Group III winner Justine Coup, a grand-daughter pf Group I winner Royal Regatta by Entrepreneur (GB).
He is the ninth Australian stakes-winner this season for retired sire Deep Field, whose son Cosmic Force now stands at Newgate and will have his first runners next season.
His Group I winning son Portland Sky stands at Widden Stud and will have jis first foals in the spring.
