Punters were on the ball in Saturday's Everest Carnival Handicap (1100m) for two-year-olds at Rosehill when they made Spendthrift Farm's $1,550,000 Snitzel colt the 15/8 favourite at his career debut.
Trained by Hawkes Racing, Spend looked to be under some pressure before the turn but when Tommy Berry asked for the supreme effort in the straight. Spend showed an impressive turn of foot but he found a willing foe in the Shamus Award colt True Detective who rallied under Hugh Bowman to be beaten a head.
The Not A Single Doubt colt Belitsa was four and a half lengths back in third. (images Steve Hart)
"He (Spend) didn't seem to like the (heavy) track at all," co-trainer Michael Hawkes told AAP.
"It was
his first day at the races and he missed a trial because they were washed out.
"He showed the signs of a good horse.
"It's upwards and onwards with him."
Tommy Berry said he felt Spend would be better suited at a distance longer than 1100 metres.
"He handled the track fine, but I think the 1100 metres was too sharp for him," Berry said.
"At the 600 he dropped the bit and was struggling to go with the speed of the race.
"I thought we were in a bit of trouble there because it takes a good horse to go from not travelling at all to pick them up and put them away.
"He got tired late so there's improvement to come and he'll be better suited up over further."
Purchased by Spendthrift Australia for $1,550,000 out of the Milburn Creek draft at the 2018 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale, Spend was the most expensive colt by his champion sire at the sale.
Milburn Creek's John Muir has retained a share.
Spend is the second foal of the Listed VRC Lexus Hybrid Plate winner Walk With Attitude (Hussonet) whose first foal, Pose (I Am Invincible) died before she got to race.
A daughter of the stakes-winning Danehill mare Hillfa, Walk With Attitude descends from a family chockful of outstanding horses including Invincible Spirit, Pride Of Dubai, Rafha and the top-class stallion Kodiac.
A Written Tycoon colt out of Walk With Attitude was not down to China Horse Club / Newgate Bloodstock for $675,000 at this year's Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale.
The daughter of Hussonet has a weanling colt by I Am Invincible and was bred back to Snitzel last spring.
I Am Invincible and Snitzel are locked in an intriguing battle for number of two-year-old winners with the former holding a lead of two, 23 to 21 as we enter the last few weeks of the season.
