TENTRYIS assumed the mantle of Australia’s best sprinter when he produced a scintillating finish to win the Black Caviar Lightning, but whether he starts in the Newmarket Handicap will depend on his weight.
Co-trainer Sam Freedman suggested Racing Victoria chief handicapper David Hegan couldn’t have been taken with Tentryis’ win, “which wasn’t all that impressive” when assessing the weights for the G1 sprint over 1200m at Flemington on March 7.
The victory was overwhelmingly impressive, though, as Damian Lane bided his time on Tentryis at the rear before unleashing him over the final 400m, where he ran down My Gladiola in a finishing burst for that sectional of an astonishing 20.99 seconds.
Freedman was overcome with the performance and added last spring, his co-trainer and father, Anthony, said to him, he’s the best horse they have trained together.
“For Anthony, he has been in the game for so long, he said to me at the end of the spring campaign, this might be the best horse you ever train,” Freedman said.
“I thought you might be suggesting you trained one better back in the 1990s and 2000s. There was a bit of cheek there; they had Mahogany and Schillaci, but he’s building his own record that will hopefully be right up there with some of the best.”
Unibet has placed Tentryis as a $1.85 favourite in the Newmarket Handicap. The stumbling block could be the likelihood that Tentryis will be the highest rated horse in the race, which could mean he has to carry 59kg.
My Gladiola finished second to Tentryis for a second consecutive start, having also finished in that position in the Coolmore Stud Stakes will take him on again in the Newmarket Handicap.
Chris Waller produced the other most impressive winner on the day, which was his three-year-old colt Sixties in the G3 C.S. Hayes Stakes (1400m), who sat wide and still proved a level above his opposition.
He firmed into $3.50 second favourite with Unibet for the Australian Guineas (1600m) on February 28.
It was Lane’s fourth winner for the meeting and he said he was a class above his opposition.
“I was hoping to find some cover, but I didn’t. I got flashed wide on the corner. I didn’t need my eye-in for that one. He had lengths on them. Full credit to him. He’s a lovely animal,” Lane said.
The first of Lane’s winners came in the opening race on the two-year-old gelding Hard Kick in the Talindert Stakes (1100m), who bolted in by four lengths.
Such was the style of the win, his connections, the Lindsay Park team, will pay the late entry fee of $55,000 for Saturday’s Blue Diamond Stakes.
The Hayes brothers will have four runners in the race as they also have Eurocanto, Torture and Jacaranda.
