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Source: racenet.com.au
Something odd happened at the penultimate Saturday meeting of the Queensland winter carnival.
Wonderful warrior War Eternal fronted up and didn’t win.
Previously, Bjorn Baker’s evergreen galloper had reeled off three consecutive carnival Stakes wins.
He was far from disgraced in Saturday’s Listed Tatt’s Mile (1600m), finishing runner-up behind Chris Waller’s import Sun God as the duo switched places from their finishes in the Listed Spear Chief Handicap on Queensland Oaks day.
Sun God started the $2.35 favourite and did the business for a powerful ownership group including Ozzie Kheir and British billionaire businessman Sir Martyn Arbib.
The five-year-old gelding, a son of Fastnet Rock, appears to be only getting better the longer he is in Australia, after starting his racing career in Europe.
Waller wasn’t on track at Eagle Farm on Saturday but his offsider Charlie Duckworth said there were plenty of spring carnival options for Sun God.
“I think he’s a horse who’s going to continue to improve into his next preparation,” Duckworth said.
“I know this is obviously a nice sort of race to tick off on his resume today, but I think he will be a spring carnival horse and a horse that can go on with the job.
“There was a point where we sort of struggled to work out exactly what trip he actually wanted to race over.
“But he has looked an absolute picture and he’s just a different horse this whole preparation.
“Today, Nash (Rawiller) was very keen just to keep cuddling him up and keep him for one last crack at them and that’s exactly what he did.
“Nash likes to have a plan before he goes out there and he executed it well.”
Rawiller rode a patient race but pressed the go button at exactly the right time.
“He’s a horse you don’t need to hurry on, he’s got a great turn of foot,” Rawiller said.
“I just tried to bide my time as long as I could and this horse’s turn of foot and a bit of class shone through.”