Pride, Gibbons lead the way as Estadio Mestalla scores stakes boilover
Pride earlier relished the win of Storm The Ramparts and looked to the July Sprint at Rosehill in two weeks after the four-year-old defied a betting drift and big weight on the track.
Chasing a third benchmark 78 handicap win across his past four starts, the gelding known as 'Thunder' at the Pride stables led under Josh Parr and easily held off his rivals over 1100m carrying 62.5 kilograms.
Pride said Storm The Ramparts, which has come back from a shoulder fracture, was getting better with age and thrived on wet tracks.
He said the July Sprint 'wouldn't be out of the question' before quipping, 'or we might take him back to Randwick next week and run him in another 78 race and cop the couple of extra kilos'.
'Everyone was telling me weight was going to stop him today,' Pride said. 'Punters' obsession with weight is ridiculous. My horse is a better horse than [$1.80 favourite] Tarpaulin. I don't care, throw another couple of kilos on his back, he's just a better horse.'
Storm The Ramparts is out of the same mare, Quick's The Word, as Pride-trained Dragonstone. Pride also has a filly, by Captivant, out of Quick's The Word.
The win was part of a double for Parr, who piloted $21 shot Cloudland to a first-up victory for Newcastle trainer Kris Lees in the eighth, a 1200m benchmark 88.
Force to be reckoned with
Jockey Tommy Berry believed Raging Force could catch his rivals napping in spring features after the Peter Snowden-trained gelding was dominant in the two-year-old (1100m) handicap at Rosehill.
The son of Cosmic Force made it three from three this preparation after taking a sit behind Lull on Saturday before racing through a gap late and powering to a two-length win.
Berry believed Raging Force, which was spelled after an injury on debut in the Breeders Plate, was a preparation away from his best but could test the top three-year-olds in the spring.
'He's up and running now, heading to the Run to The Rose, Rosebud, Golden Rose, where the horses who have already proven themselves at the top level are still getting fit,' Berry said.
'He's the fit horse on the scene and he might be able to catch them napping hopefully,' Berry said.
He was proud of how Raging Force handled the changing race tactics, after they initially went for the lead.
'It just shows his versatility, how smart he is now and how much he's willing to work with us,' he said.
The Snowden stable plan to give Raging Force a short let-up before plotting a spring campaign.
Diddle Dumpling sweet for spring goal
Trainer Gerald Ryan was eyeing early spring stakes races for Diddle Dumpling after she broke through in town with a front-running ride from Tim Clark on her home track.
The three-year-old Deep Field filly, a $325,000 Magic Millions buy for John Singleton, led and kicked well late for a one-length victory over Matt Smith-trained, Gerry Harvey-owned Golden Straand.
Ryan said Diddle Dumpling overraced early in her career but had been racing better this time in. She won well at Gosford the start previous with a front-running ride from Nash Rawiller and connections opted to try the tactic again from a wide gate on Saturday.
'We'll probably try to win another one of these, but we're hoping to get black type with her,' Ryan said.
'She handles wet ground, so maybe a couple of those early mares races in August-September might be all right for her.'
African Daisy finally blossoms
Jockey Tim Clark believed the quick back-up, addition of blinkers, the inside draw and a soft surface were key factors in Jason Deamer-trained African Daisy winning for the first time in 889 days at Rosehill on Saturday.
The six-year-old, a $9.50 Sportsbet chance, won the Midway 1200m benchmark 72 handicap on a soft 7, a week after finishing last in a 1300m edition of the grade on good going at the track.
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Clark gave the Dynamic Syndications mare a sit behind the leader from gate one before pushing out to make clear running at the 300m on the way to a half-length victory over Equilibrist.
'She was plain the other day, so they went quick-up, blinkers on, for something different and it worked,' said Clark, who rode African Daisy at the end of her last preparation.
Ciaron Maher-trained Hi Dubai made it a double for Dynamic Syndications with a gritty front-running effort in the 1100m benchmark 78 for fillies and mares.
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Courier-Mail
3 hours ago
- Courier-Mail
Joe Pride perplexed after Storm The Ramparts wins again at Rosehill
Don't miss out on the headlines from Horse Racing. Followed categories will be added to My News. Storm The Ramparts continued his white-hot winter form with another easy win at Rosehill Gardens on Saturday. Trainer Joe Pride's underrated Storm The Ramparts was simply too fast and too good for his chasing rivals in the 50 Year And Life Member Handicap (1100m). Pride said he was surprised that form analysts and punters had taken a set against Storm The Ramparts primarily because the sprinter had been burdened with 62.5kg. • PUNT LIKE A PRO: Become a Racenet iQ member and get expert tips – with fully transparent return on investment statistics – from Racenet's team of professional punters at our Pro Tips section. SUBSCRIBE NOW! 'Punters' obsession with weight is ridiculous and sometimes they ignore the obvious,'' Pride said. 'Storm The Ramparts is a proper 78 grade proven horse and is flying. He's a ripper. 'We changed it up by bringing him to Rosehill as opposed to the Randwick 1000m but he went really well again. This horse is having a fantastic preparation.'' Storm The Ramparts ($4), ridden by Josh Parr, made light of his hefty handicap and led most of the way to score by just over a length from the fast finishing First Landing ($10) with Pokerjack ($13) a close third. Godolphin's Tarpaulin was backed into $1.80 favouritism and after looming as a chance half-way down the straight he faded to finish nearly four lengths away in fourth placing. Storm The Ramparts scored his third Sydney Saturday win (plus two seconds) from five starts this campaign and Pride said there is no reason not to keep the in-form sprinter in training through winter. 'He has been enjoying himself on these winter tracks of late, although he also performed very well on the dry last start,'' Pride said. • Diddle Dumpling shines with frontrunning victory 'The July Sprint back here in a couple of weeks would not be out of the question. I won it with Eduardo a few years ago and I'm sure there is no Eduardo in the race this year.'' Storm The Ramparts had gone winless for 18-months under his form surge this winter but Pride explained that the sprinter had been troubled by a shoulder complaint. 'He was diagnosed with a shoulder problem that was bothering him so we gave him a decent break and he has come back in great form,'' Pride said. 'His half-brother, Dragonstone, got better as he got older and that is exactly the pathway this horse has been on.'' Meanwhile, Pride confirmed another of his stable's form sprinters, In Flight, will be chasing a hat-trick of stakes wins in the Group 3 $200,000 Sir John Monash Stakes (1100m) at Caulfield next Saturday. Talented mare In Flight ran second to Dragonstone in the Listed Hawkesbury Rush before reeling off successive Listed wins in the Bright Shadow Quality and the Bob Charley AO Stakes. 'In Flight is super, she trialled at Kembla Grange during the week and is going great,'' he said. Originally published as Joe Pride sprinter Storm The Ramparts unstoppable again at Rosehill
The Australian
11 hours ago
- The Australian
Diddle Dumpling shines with frontrunning victory
Diddle Dumpling gave her strongest indication yet that she could be ready to fulfil her stakes potential with an impressive all-the-way success at Rosehill Gardens on Saturday. The Gerald Ryan and Sterling Alexiou-trained filly back-to-back victories for the first time in her career with a sustained frontrunning performance in the The Agency Real Estate Benchmark 72 Handicap (1300m). Ryan and Alexiou have always held Diddle Dumpling in high regard but have been forced to wait patiently for her to put it all together. • PUNT LIKE A PRO: Become a Racenet iQ member and get expert tips – with fully transparent return on investment statistics – from Racenet's team of professional punters at our Pro Tips section. SUBSCRIBE NOW! The daughter of Deep Field has returned a more complete package this campaign and it showed on her home track 'She has settled a lot in the brain this time around,' Ryan said. 'She had a good spell up and came back a lot stronger. 'She is a lot more settled in herself but she has always had the ability, it was just a matter of getting her to do things right. 'This time around she has done everything right.' A wide draw saw jockey Tim Clark make the decision to push forward early and control the race on Diddle Dumpling. He kicked a length and a half clear early in the straight and Diddle Dumpling was able to hold her rivals at bay, scoring by a length from Matthew Smith's Golden Straand ($13) with the Michael Freedman-trained Codetta ($5.50 favourite) in third. • Snowden youngster proves a winter Force after hat-trick 'She is a nice filly that can progress to a better grade,' Clark said. 'I think she can be versatile. Obviously our hand, we didn't have a lot of options out there and we had to roll with her. 'I was happy enough from out there to show my intent and generally if you show intent from out there you are a good chance of finding the front. 'She was able to do that and travel well. It took her 100m to work through her gears but when she got to her top she lengthened really well.' Diddle Dumpling was tested in stakes grade during her two-year-old and three-year-old seasons, including finishing fifth in last year's Group 2 Percy Sykes Stakes. Ryan has ambitions to give Diddle Dumpling another chance in better company soon. 'We would love to get black type with her,' he said. 'There are a couple of those early mares races in August-September might be alright for her. 'We will see what's around.' ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ African Daisy completed the ultimate form reversal in the space of just a week to score her first victory in just under 900 days at Rosehill Gardens on Saturday. A week after failing to beat a runner home at the same venue, the Jason Deamer-trained mare made a sensational return to form to score a determined win in the Midway Benchmark 72 Handicap (1200m). African Daisy hadn't won a race since January 28, 2023 heading into Saturday when the daughter of American Pharoah had been trained by Annabel Archibald. But Deamer's decision to reach into the gear bag and add blinkers paid significant dividends. 'From the get-go she was really intent on putting herself there,' jockey Tim Clark said. 'She was really intent on putting herself into the race and showed she really wanted to be there. 'The blinkers really worked. 'Jase always turns out his horses in really good order and he's done a great job with her to turn her around.' Clark was able to make the most of barrier one to have African Daisy ($10) travelling behind the leaders on the fence. The energy conserving run allowed African Daisy to show a fresh set of heels as the six-year-old did enough to deny the Kerry Parker-trained Equilibrist ($7.50) and Ross McConville's Donwon ($17). 'She appreciated getting her toe into the ground, a good draw and a nice run,' Clark said. 'Things fell into place for her today and that's not always going to be the case but it was good to see when they did, she was able to capitalise on it.' Dynamic Syndications revealed African Daisy had been set for retirement but her victory could see the mare race on a little longer.
The Australian
11 hours ago
- The Australian
Joe Pride perplexed after Storm The Ramparts wins again at Rosehill
Storm The Ramparts continued his white-hot winter form with another easy win at Rosehill Gardens on Saturday. Trainer Joe Pride's underrated Storm The Ramparts was simply too fast and too good for his chasing rivals in the 50 Year And Life Member Handicap (1100m). Pride said he was surprised that form analysts and punters had taken a set against Storm The Ramparts primarily because the sprinter had been burdened with 62.5kg. • PUNT LIKE A PRO: Become a Racenet iQ member and get expert tips – with fully transparent return on investment statistics – from Racenet's team of professional punters at our Pro Tips section. SUBSCRIBE NOW! 'Punters' obsession with weight is ridiculous and sometimes they ignore the obvious,'' Pride said. 'Storm The Ramparts is a proper 78 grade proven horse and is flying. He's a ripper. 'We changed it up by bringing him to Rosehill as opposed to the Randwick 1000m but he went really well again. This horse is having a fantastic preparation.'' Storm The Ramparts ($4), ridden by Josh Parr, made light of his hefty handicap and led most of the way to score by just over a length from the fast finishing First Landing ($10) with Pokerjack ($13) a close third. Godolphin's Tarpaulin was backed into $1.80 favouritism and after looming as a chance half-way down the straight he faded to finish nearly four lengths away in fourth placing. Storm The Ramparts scored his third Sydney Saturday win (plus two seconds) from five starts this campaign and Pride said there is no reason not to keep the in-form sprinter in training through winter. 'He has been enjoying himself on these winter tracks of late, although he also performed very well on the dry last start,'' Pride said. • Diddle Dumpling shines with frontrunning victory 'The July Sprint back here in a couple of weeks would not be out of the question. I won it with Eduardo a few years ago and I'm sure there is no Eduardo in the race this year.'' Storm The Ramparts had gone winless for 18-months under his form surge this winter but Pride explained that the sprinter had been troubled by a shoulder complaint. 'He was diagnosed with a shoulder problem that was bothering him so we gave him a decent break and he has come back in great form,'' Pride said. 'His half-brother, Dragonstone, got better as he got older and that is exactly the pathway this horse has been on.'' Meanwhile, Pride confirmed another of his stable's form sprinters, In Flight, will be chasing a hat-trick of stakes wins in the Group 3 $200,000 Sir John Monash Stakes (1100m) at Caulfield next Saturday. Talented mare In Flight ran second to Dragonstone in the Listed Hawkesbury Rush before reeling off successive Listed wins in the Bright Shadow Quality and the Bob Charley AO Stakes. 'In Flight is super, she trialled at Kembla Grange during the week and is going great,'' he said.
