At a cold and wet Hamilton Races on Tuesday afternoon, VINACEOUS a recent acquisition to Team Dynamic, strolled around the 1600m trip to score an impressive, eased down but widening 1 length win in Race 7 the bet365 Benchmark 58 Handicap.
VINACEOUS - Photo Finish
Presented into the mounting yard in awesome order by rising trainer Matt Laurie, and ridden to perfection by talented pilot Damien Thornton, the race was as good as over after the field had run 50m.
After 3 scratchings, Vinaceous jumped away well from barrier 6 in a field of 8 runners and the horsemanship of Damien was superb to have Vinaceous lob into the one/one spot on the back of the $1.70 favourite Jealous Tycoon whilst from out wide Toymark pressed forward to sit 3 wide around our mare giving perfect cover in the run.
As the field swung for home, at the 300m Toymark dropped off and Damien angled Vinaceous off its heels to give chase. Once balanced, Vinaceous started to extend and at the 100m had gone to the lead increasing her margin with each stride to the post.
On paper the race looked to hold only two hopes with Vinaceous ($3.70) and Jealous Tycoon ($1.70) and double figures the rest.
Team Dynamic were extremely confident Vinaceous could win and our ratings had her as short as $1.26.
Our only concern was not the opposition but rather the distance being too short now she was third up into the preparation and would be more suited at 1800m or 2000m than a mile.
However punters seemed to disagree. Early in the day there wasn’t a split match between the pair with Jealous Tycoon at $2.05 and Vinaceous at $2.20.
Yet as the day progressed, punters came out of trees to back Jealous Tycoon into $1.70 and Vinaceous kept blowing like a southerly buster, all the way to $3.70. It proved to be money for jam.
Vinaceous Wins @ Hamilton from Dynamic Syndications on Vimeo.
ABOVE: RACE REPLAY
Trainer Matt Laurie
Post-race Dynamic Trainer Matt Laurie in an interview on Racing.com said “I’m happy to travel to Hamilton when you get a result like this – very happy”
“It’s a four and a half hour trip from Mornington to Hamilton but it was the right race and Vinaceous was good enough.”
“This race looked ideal for Vinaceous today and I was happy to make the journey for her owners.”
“This horse had raced in a WA Oaks and Dean and Adam Watt from Dynamic Syndications purchased her at the Magic Millions Sales in Queensland and they had expressed interest in giving me a horse to train and this is the result. Her form looked quite good over there (WA) and we thought she was a nice enough sort of horse to go through her grades here (VIC).”
“She’ll now step up in distance and we’ll continue to place her the best we can.”
Damien Thornton returns on Vinaceous
Jockey Damien Thornton said “This horse has plenty of upside and she will continue to improve as she gets out in trip. She’s a real staying sort of mare and her Perth form showed that and she wasn’t beaten too far in a Listed Race so I know today was just a benchmark 58 and not too much to get excited about yet but she feels she is going to get better as she gets out over further.”
She travelled much better in the run today, all being it was a more genuinely run race, but she relaxed nicely, she wasn’t as fresh and I think that run the other day did her the world of good, and Matt’s done a super job to get her to chill out a bit and race properly as the prep goes on, so she’ll be better at 2000m and as the prep goes on there is no reason she won’t win again.”
A BIG Congratulations to the TEAM of terrific DYNAMIC Owners that own and Race Vinaceous with us: Dynamic Syndications Racing Synd, Mr S B Troughton, Mr G Downard, Mr P A Sturt, Mr C J Sheehan, Mr R J Gall, Mr M W Cunningham, Mr W Taylor, Ms J H Long, Mr L Szancer, Ms A M Wood, Mr B Coopersmith, Mr J Yianni, Mr S F Duggan, Mr S P Loane, Mr M J Emmerson, Mr M J Williams, Mr P B Szalajko.
So what’s in a name? What does VINACEOUS mean? – it refers to being of the colour of Red Wine.
This mare is one of those feel good stories for her ownership team. Most of the squad have been with us for a long time and it’s wonderful to ask these owners to race a “cheapie” with us and they had no hesitation.
A $210,000 yearling buy for Bob Peters in WA, she had only 7 starts in WA – all in the same preparation progressing through to win at 2000m and go on to compete in a Listed Race and then the WA Oaks. Sent for a spell and then to the salering, Dynamic Syndications purchased Vinaceous for just $16,000. She has already won this $16,390 prizemoney and there is plenty of upside to this exceptionally well-bred daughter of Savabeel from the Villifye (by O’Reilly).
VINACEOUS at the sales
She was divided up into 20 shares at $1,410 inc GST per share.
Vinaceous has raced 3 occasions for us carrying big weights for a mare.
The first over an unsuitable 1400m trip lumping 59.5kgs, then an unlucky 0.2 length runner-up at 1600m carrying 59.0kgs giving the winner (an old tough gelding) weight, before this dominant and soft win over 1600m knocking off a $1.70 favourite.
This has allowed our mare the right foundation to now step up in distances and add to her resume which we remain confident she will do.
Vinaceous was the first horse we have offered to Mornington Trainer Matt Laurie to care for and he has done a superb job teaching her to relax in her races. When the mare first arrived at Matt’s stable to be fair she looked more like a cross between a Wolly Mammoth and a Yak.
It was a task to get the mare firstly fit and then tractable in her racing manners and the patience and horsemanship of Matt Laurie has come to the fore.
Matt is a genuine, laid back, nice bloke and we are thrilled for Matt and his team at the stable with the result they have achieved for us and the first of many visits to the winner’s circle for Vinaceous and other Dynamic horses that will head his way.
VINACEOUS recorded Dynamic Syndications 15th Race Win for this Season.
It was also Dynamic Syndications 612th Race Win and our 218th Individual Winner from 230 Individual Runners (94.8%).
Well Done All !