The Gordon Richard's trained Gytrash gave Australia another reason to regret the departure of Lope De Vega (IRE) following a brilliant performance in Saturday's Listed Creswick Stakes (1200m) at Flemington.
Scheduled to have a break after missing the board for the first time when unplaced in Group 1 The Goodwood (1200m) at Morphettville on May 18, Gytrash has rewarded connections following the decision to extend his campaign with a pair of Flemington straight-track wins and a first black-type triumph.
Travelling sweetly down the centre of the track under Craig Williams, Gytrash turned what looked likely to be a fighting finish into a two and a quarter length romp. (image Grant Courtney )
The Your Song filly Golden Halo was second with the Universal Ruler filly Bam's On Fire a short-neck back in third.
A $40,000 purchase by her trainer out of the Maluka Thoroughbreds draft at the 2017 Inglis Premier Yearling Sale, Gytrash (pictured as a yearling ) advances his record to 6 wins, 3 seconds and 3 from 13 starts $405,450.
"I
thought he'd come to the end of it but the race here a fortnight ago bobbed up
so I thought we'd have a crack at that and then after he won, we thought we had
to come back and have a go at this one as well," Richards told racing.com.
"That was his best run by far, he was exposed pretty early and usually when he hits the front he tends to float around a bit but the others struggled to get there.
"He'll have a short spell and come back for the Spring Carnival as a four-year-old.
"He's certainly a straight-tracker isn't he, that's two starts for two wins."
Gytrash is the best of two winners out of the Fastnet Rock mare Miss Barley who is a half-sister to the Listed winner Strawberry Storm (Thunder Gulch) who is the dam of the stakes-placed Movie (Red Ransom) who is in turn the dam of the Listed winner and $1.1 million earner Goodfella (Snitzel).
From the fourth and final Australian crop of his sire, Gytrash becomes the 57thstakes-winner for Lope De Vega (Shamardal).
