Kiwi-bred gelding Canadian Ruler mastered a testing topweight and won the A$120,000 TAB Highway Handicap (1500m) impressively at Hawkesbury on Saturday.
The four-year-old son of Vancouver headed into the race with two wins and seven placings to his name from a 12-race career, and he was lumbered with a big impost of 62.5kg. Trainer Matthew Dale secured the services of in-form apprentice jockey Braith Nock, whose 2kg claim reduced that weight to 60.5kg.
Canadian Ruler was first to leave the starting gates, but Nock was happy to let Liquor Talk dash past and open up a two-length lead after the first 200m.
After being squeezed back to fifth coming up to the home turn, Nock drove Canadian Ruler through a narrow opening one from the inside in the straight.
Canadian Ruler quickened well in the Heavy8 ground and soon burst to the lead. Pharoahzano finished strongly out of the pack in the last 100m and ate into his margin, but Nock did his best to keep Canadian Ruler’s mind on the job and guided him to victory by half a length.
“He landed in front so easily at the start, but then I was happy to let one go around us,” Nock said. “He felt a bit uncomfortable for a while in the middle stages, but I just let him relax before starting to pick him up again.
“It was looking sticky to get to the outside at the turn, so I just had to cut the corner and get him into the clear that way.
“I thought he quickened quite sharply in the straight and put them away easily. He was left out in front for a long time and started to have a bit of a think, but we just had to try to stick it out.”
Canadian Ruler has now had 13 starts for three wins, three seconds and four thirds. He has earned A$168,975 for a Darby Racing syndicate.
Darby Racing have had one of their best ever results with another gelding by Woodside Park Stud's Vancouver in multiple G1 winner Overpass, who has won over $10.5million.
Canadian Ruler was bred by Westbury Stud owner Gerry Harvey and is out of the Testa Rossa mare Sovereign Eminence, whose half-sister Sovereign Nation won the Gr.2 Stutt Stakes (1600m) and placed in the Gr.1 Toorak Handicap (1600m). Their dam Sovereign Duchess is a half-sister to the multiple Group One-winning New Zealand mare Princess Coup.
Westbury Stud offered Canadian Ruler in Book 1 of Karaka 2022, where Darby Racing bought him for $75,000. – NZ Racing Desk.
