A bold staying performance by SACRED MISSION at Ipswich on Wednesday saw the well-bred 3YO take a huge step towards the Group 1 Queensland Derby.
The son of Sacred Falls led all the way under Kyle Wilson-Taylor in his first attempt at 2200m, and the extra 200m of the Derby should prove no problem given how powerfully he finished the race.
SACRED MISSION was the first to leave the gates and after being taken to the front by Wilson-Taylor, he soon settled into a beautiful rhythm.
With several of his rivals coming off the bridle approaching the final turn, his rider gave SACRED MISSION a shake of the reins and the gelding responded to burst clear and win with plenty to spare.
Having taken his earnings past $50,000 from just four starts, SACRED MISSION has booked his place in the Derby field and, provided he pulls up well from his exertions, David reveals it is all systems go for the showpiece event at Eagle Farm on May 27.
“He’ll be even better next prep but he’s a three-year-old and you only get one shot at the Derby, so as long as he pulls up well we’ll head there next,” he said.
“It’s the first horse I’ve trained for Raffles Racing, so I’m delighted to get another win for them and if he lines up in the Derby, he could be a cheeky roughie in the race.
“It’s very exciting and the horse is very well bred, there’s a lot of black type on his dam’s side and we were confident he would handle the trip and the conditions. It’s taken a while to get him fit enough for this distance, he doesn’t have much of a sprint so the plan today was to jump and set up a decent tempo.
“Nothing was making ground on him, so it was a good, strong performance and we will press onto the Derby now provided he recovers well.”
Many congratulations to the team at Raffles Racing.