Knocking over a $70,000 city race on a balmy Friday night – with the only horse you have floated from Swan Hill to Moonee Valley – is a hell of a way to celebrate the end of another working week.
But for trainer Nathan Hobson; the real race is yet to be run.
He already has his sights set on being back at the Valley with his Friday night specialist Rock Tycoon and winning the $125,000 The Valley Summer Sprint final after qualifying for a berth in the big one with a heat win late last year.
That’s the kind of payday to attract the attention of any country-based trainer and after his dashing go-to-whoa win at the Valley on Friday night, Hobson is right to have high expectations.
His six-year-old gelding, with Madison Lloyd in the saddle, exploded out of the gates, worked his way straight into the lead and Lloyd set the tempo from there on; before stealing a march on the turn into the straight and never looking challenged for the rest of the trip.
The win also took the Tycoon’s career earnings to more than $300,000; and that will get a real boost if he can reproduce the same magic on March 4.
Speaking straight after the Tycoon’s latest win, Lloyd admitted she “adores this horse to bits”.
“He always rides honest races for me; and I’d like to thank the owners and Nathan a lot for giving me the ride,” she said.
Lloyd said she didn’t know what the other jockeys were thinking on Friday night; but “at the 600m I knew I had them covered after he got away to a great start, which he usually does,” she added.
“And when he kicked off the corner; I couldn’t hear them coming just yet.
“I’ll be back to ride him here at his next start, I always want to stick with this little horse.”
A jubilant Hobson said after they had picked up a couple of wins with him before Christmas; they knew they would be coming back to the Valley with Rock Tycoon this year.
“Rock Tycoon has been in work a long time this prep and he still looks a treat; and I’d like to thank Heath Chalmers, who’s joined the team and does all Rocky’s track work,” he said.
“He is a strong going horse; but it is all worth it when he gets to the track and runs like this.
“It’s because of all the effort the whole team puts into this horse, and all the others in the stables, that we will be back here in two weeks and in the hunt for a big race final and we all expect Rock Tycoon to be just as competitive again.”
