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Source: racenet.com.au
Resurgent stayer Asterix set a modern day weight-carrying record to score a memorable $200,000 Listed Gosford Cup (2100m) success on Saturday.
Tasked with carrying the topweight of 61kg and a testing wide draw, the Chris Waller-trained galloper proved up to both tasks to snare his conditioner a fourth Cup win.
No horse this century had carried more than the 59.5kg lugged by Numerian in 2022.
Asterix did it with seeming ease as the son of Tavistock backed up a strong first-up victory in the Group 3 JRA Plate (2000m) with an emphatic Cup success.
“He is flying this horse,” jockey Jason Collett said.
“The weight, the barrier (were against him) but I was fortunate enough that the tempo was great early.
“He was disagreeing with me a touch past the winning post and he started to get into a rhythm down the side so we worked together there.
“I was fortunate, I got a lot of lucky breaks but I had the horse to do it.”
Asterix had virtually the whole field in front of him at the halfway point before Collett began to start to work his way through the pack rounding the turn.
He saw daylight at the top of the straight and finished off powerfully to beat Zaphod ($13) by a length with Touristic ($31) half a length off him in third.
The gloss was slightly taken off the win after Collett received a three-meeting careless riding ban for allowing the gelding to shift in over the concluding stages.
It’s only positives for Asterix.
The former Kiwi galloper had struggled to find his best form when he first moved across the Tasman but has now won three of his past four starts over his past two preparations.
“It is amazing what confidence can do to horses,” Waller’s stable representative Zane Jones said.
“This preparation he’s taken up where he left off (in the spring). He was terrific the other day.
“Consistency has been something he has lacked but to string back-to-back wins together and do it with style like that with weight is a terrific effort.”
It was a Waller sweep of the day’s staying event after emerging three-year-old Monopolistic made a Queensland Derby statement with a thrilling win against the older horses.
A patient and well-timed Andrew Adkins steer allowed the gelding to arrive in the nick of time in the Benchmark 78 Handicap (2100m).
Monopolistic ($11) was bolting late to run over the top of King Pedro ($12) in the shadows of the post as King Of The Sea ($3.60 favourite) made up a stack of ground to finish third.
“It played into my hand really well, all I needed was a bit of luck when we straightened up,” Adkins said.
“He got that and gee he sprinted well.
“He was very strong (late), step him up in trip now and I am sure there is a nice race for him up in Queensland.”
A date with the $1m Group 1 Queensland Derby (2400m) at Eagle Farm on May 30 is now firmly on the agenda for Monopolistic.
The son of Savabeel is now on the third line of betting after shortening in TAB odds from $15 into $6.
“That will give the owners plenty to look forward to, three weeks to the Queensland Derby and obviously I am sure that’s at the forefront of Chris’s mind,” Jones said.
“Obviously he has to do everything right between now and then but being a three-year-old, they are only three once and that was a super impressive win.”