Marc Conners & Tyler Schiller have combined with Willaidow ($4.20) to get the verdict in the Group 3 Southern Cross Stakes (1200m) at Rosehill on Saturday afternoon, holding off the surging Iowna Merc ($8.00) in the shadows of the post.
The son of Shamus Award put the writing on the wall last preparation when putting together back-to-back wins before being sent to the paddock, and despite giving fitness to his main rivals after a 105-day spell, the ever-improving six-year-old relished the challenge at his first opportunity at stakes grade.
Schiller was able to lob on the back of Hard To Say ($9.00), with James McDonald attempting to offset top weight by making every post a winner over the 1200m journey.
It allowed Willaidow to get into the perfect rhythm behind the leader, while the well-supported favourite with Neds, Accredited ($3.70), was able to stalk from mid-field with cover.
Willaidow took over in the final 300m as Hard To Say began to fade, leaving the likes of Iowna Merc, Brudenell ($6.50) and Disneck ($6.50) to make sustained runs from the rear of the field.
Iowna Merc had one last lunge at the post, however, couldn’t quite reel in the margin as Willaidow took full advantage of the favourable on-speed track conditions at Rosehill on Saturday.
Marc Conners was on course to discuss the victory post-race.
“He’s got some fight in him, that’s for sure,” said Conners.
“He’s a hard horse to get a line on because he’s a terrible track worker. You know, he falls in, in his trials, he sweats up bad before a race, he walks around like a crab, but when it comes to race day, he just finds another gear.
“He loves a fight, the closer they get to him, the harder he fights.
“There’s no set plan. I just think there’s plenty of options for him. We’ll just take our time. Every two or three weeks, there’s a race. I think he’ll be better when he gets to 1,400m, 1,500. So, we’ll just take our time, pick our races off and just try and keep him winning.”
Tyler Schiller spoke post-race for the second time on Saturday after claiming victory in the Group 3 Canonbury Stakes (1100m) aboard Blitzburg earlier in the program.
“He’s just a bulldog,” said Schiller.
“I think he was beaten about three times up the straight. Late I actually thought I got out-bobbed, but to his credit, he just kept finding.
“He was out on his feet late, but he’s just got that much tenacity to win, and they’ve run some pretty good times, so I thought they did a good job to make up a bit of ground on him.
“He’s just the ultimate professional. All you can ask is that they try hard, and when they have ability and try hard, it makes it a lot easier.”
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