Third at Listed level before winning at Doomben, the Craig Cousins-trained The Inflictor (Under The Louvre) then tackled the Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap, and while not in the same league as winner War Wachine (Harry Angel), the 4yo gelding showed his class on Saturday to win the Listed BRC Tattersall’s Mile (1600m) at Eagle Farm.
After jumping away from the outside barrier, jockey Rachel King went forward where she was happy to travel in second position behind the Ron Stewart-ridden Aerial Dancer (Trapeze Artist).
Maintaining that position for most of the race, King started to make her move as she came up on the outside of Aerial Dancer to eyeball the leader.
As the Annabel and Rob Archibald trained race favourite Sibaaq (GB) (Dark Angel) peeled of the heels of the leading duo to make his run, King was not going to be outdone, pushing out The Inflictor to win the race, the first at black type level for the gelding.
The 60 year old Cousins, who works as a truck driver and only has three in work surely must have felt the stars had aligned as The Inflictor gave him his first black type winner as a trainer.
"It's the beautiful culmination of a big three weeks,” said Cousins.
“Rachel said she would just let the horse flow, and he was probably better being drawn out wide today because of the buffeting he got the other day in the Stradbroke. He never got clear running in that race, but he was up against the big boys and he learned a lot."
"He's an absolute ripper of a horse, he's just a dude and we all love him.”
“It's all catching up with me now. The horse is easy to train and I've had a lot of help, even though I do most of the training myself. His regular trackwork rider Johnny Walker told me on Tuesday morning that he would win, and he was right."
Riding The Inflictor for the first time, King felt being drawn wide aided in securing the win.
"He was thrown in at the deep end in the Stradbroke, those big handicaps aren't always the nicest experiences when you get stuck in the middle of horses, and he may have got beaten up a little bit. But it was probably a blessing being drawn out today, because it meant he got the space he needed,” said King.
"He probably doesn't want any further than the mile, but credit to the team for getting him ready after that run in the Stradbroke.”
“He got his confidence back and it's great to get a winner for Craig. I feel for Cejay, she's one of my best friends in the room so I'm gutted she wasn't riding the horse today. But she's done all the work on him and she told me everything I needed to know, so a big shout out to her. She's a superstar and I'm sure she'll be back on him again very soon."
Taking his record to seven wins, and ten placed performances from 24 starts with earnings just shy of $600,000, The Inflictor is the first stakes winner out of the Bernardini mare Zietta, herself a daughter of the stakes placed Lion Hunter mare Sharna Mist.
The Inflictor is the second stakes winner for Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap winner Under The Louvre with the Ken ‘Tubby’ Turner bred gelding joining Listed Daybreak Lover winner Exotique Miss, who in the very next race on the Eagle Farm card finished fourth in the Group 1 Tattersall’s Tiara for jockey Rachel King.
