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Group 1 winner Amicus has returned to winning form with a smart victory in the 2015 Toy Show Quality at Royal Randwick this afternoon.
Wine Tales was easily the best-backed of the three Chris Waller-trained runners heading into the Toy Show Quality, but she was settled at the tail of the field by jockey James McDonald while Two Blue and Il Mio Destino were locked in a battle for the lead.
Hugh Bowman elected to take Amicus to the outside coming into the straight in what turned out to be a winning move and she picked up nicely when she was asked for an extra effort to finish over the top of a gallant Echo Gal, while Wine Tales was never able to find clear running and was arguably a good thing beaten in third place.
Trainer Chris Waller was thrilled to see Amicus record her first race win since she took out the Group 1 Thousand Guineas (1600m) during the 2014 Spring Racing Carnival and he is confident that she will continue to improve as she builds towards a race like the Group 1 Myer Classic (1600m) at Flemington on Victoria Derby Day.
“It was very good,” Waller said.
“She has always been a very good horse and she is obviously a Group 1 winner already.
“She wasn’t beaten very far in the Coolmore against the older mares and it is good to see that she has returned in this fashion.
“It is not all about your first-up run, but she has a long road ahead and hopefully we can get to Melbourne at the end of the spring.”
While Waller was thrilled to win the Toy Show Quality with Amicus, he admitted after the race that McDonald should have taken Wine Tales to the outside in the final stages of the Group 3 event.
“He should have come to the outside,” Waller said.
“It is easy for me because I have the winner, but it is not as easy for the punters.”
Amicus took out the Thousand Guineas last spring and she was unable to record a race win during her 2015 Sydney Autumn Racing Carnival campaign, but she was far from disgraced in races like the Group 2 Surround Stakes (1400m) at Warwick Farm on February 28, the Group 1 Coolmore Classic (1500m) at Rosehill Gardens on March 14 and the Group 1 Vinery Stud Stakes (2000m) at the same venue on March 28.
Source: horseracing.com.au