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Source: racenet.com.au
Asterix’s part-owner and former New Zealand Test cricketer Mark Greatbatch had an extraordinary vantage point for the Group 3 Tattersall’s Cup – the middle of the Arctic Ocean, watching icebergs drift past and scanning the horizon for polar bears.
Greatbatch had been in the UK to witness the thrilling cricket series between England and the Black Caps before heading further north for what he described as a trip of a lifetime.
“I’m in the middle of the Arctic looking at icebergs,” he said.
“We’re looking for polar bears. We’ve been in the UK to watch the first two Tests and then we hopped over to Scandinavia to have a look around.
“We’ve had a 10-day trip on a ship booked for a couple of years so it’s been pretty amazing.”
Greatbatch managed to watch the race online and was stoked that Asterix could finish his winter campaign on a high note after disappointing performances in the Group 1 Doomben Cup (2000m, sixth of seven runners) and sixth in the $1.2m Q22 (2200m).
“It was a nice finish to his campaign,” Greatbatch said.
“The last couple of races have been interesting, not a lot of pace, and he sort of laid out in the Group 1.
“He looked like he was going to do that again today but (jockey) Tim Clark straightened him up.
“His staying pedigree is going over distance and that’s the third out of five times he’s won over 2400m.”
Greatbatch said overall he was pleased with Asterix’s campaign that started with a bang in April with victory in the $250,000 JRA Plate (2000m) at Royal Randwick.
“You’ve got to be happy when he wins three out of five (races) in a campaign,” said Greatbatch, who played 41 Tests for New Zealand between 1988 and 1996.
Charlie Duckworth, representing winning trainer Chris Waller, said Asterix simply needed a drop in grade.
“It was aided by a lovely ride, but Tim didn’t panic early and he just let it all unfold in front of him. He was strong late,” Duckworth said.
Asterix ($4.20) finished just under a half-length in front of Pounding ($3.70), with Etna Rosso ($7.50) a further two lengths back in the $200,000 showdown.
It was the fourth time that Waller has won the Tattersall’s Cup in the past decade, including last year with Manzoice.
“He was well treated under the weight scale,” jockey Clark said about Asterix.
“I just felt my main priority there was just to get him to settle.
“He has raced a bit keenly previously so I just felt it was really important to get the first two thirds of the race right, and if I could do that he’d take care of the rest.”