Eliyass (+120) has returned to the racetrack with a tough win in the Group 3 Premier’s Cup for the Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott yard, holding off the fast-finishing Touristic (+550) in the final stages of the race.
Tim Clark settled the race favourite in the box seat behind the leaders, Canberra Legend (+850) and Cleveland (+800), but once the field hit the home turn, Clark extricated off the fence to make his run.
It took the son of Le Havre a few strides before he hit top speed, allowing Super Strike (+1000) and Touristic to close in before the 200m mark.
The Peter Snowden-trained runner let down with a strong finish to chase down the leader; however, Eliyass dug deep and prove the superior stayer over the 2000m journey.
The winner will target the Group 1 Metropolitan (2400m) later in the spring, so connections will be happy that he returned with a strong win.
2024 Premier’s Cup replay – Eliyass
Representing the winning stable, Adrian Bott spoke about the win post-race.
“He was vulnerable there at the furlong when challenged, but those good horses, that’s what separates them,” Bott said.
“He’s just able to dig deep, and he found plenty there, through the line.
“So I’m sure there’s good improvement off the back of that.”
“He’s on a Metropolitan path and I I think he’ll be better suited when he gets over that little bit further.
“So there’s a couple of nice options coming up for him, but I think he’s right on track.
“I think we’ll bide our time.
“He might have a month between runs now, running 2000m in a month’s time (Kingston Town Stakes), and that’ll be his main lead up for the Metropolitan.”
Tim Clark was complimentary of the winner, expressing how tough he was late in the piece.
“Horses that build that winning record, they just find a way to keep putting their head out,” Clark explained.
“He fought, really, hardly there.
“It’s a warm day today than his debut here, and he probably did feel it a little bit, but he is a highly strung type of horse.”
“He keeps himself pretty busy.
“He’s building an imposing record, and he’s come back in good order.”
Eliyass is the +400 favourite for the Group 1 Metropolitan with horse racing bookmakers.
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