Steal My Thunder (NZ) (Derryn) was a long way from home at Ascot Park on Saturday, but that didn’t stop the mare from taking home the major spoils in the ODT Southern Mile Qualifier – Summer Cup (1600m).
The daughter of Derryn is trained at Waverley by Bill Thurlow, who identified next month’s $200,000 ODT Southern Mile Final (1600m) as a possible target for the mare after a convincing last-start win at her local course. Needing maximum points to be in contention for the final field, Steal My Thunder crossed the Cook Strait and headed for Southland’s feature meeting, where she was rated a $6.30 second-favourite for the race behind Treybon ($5.50).
Jumping from the extreme outside barrier, Steal My Thunder worked forward early under Ashvin Goindasamy, who found good positioning three pairs back outside of Treybon. Cheney headed to the front along the back stretch and made it a truly-run contest, leading to the home turn before a wall of horses fanned across the Ascot Park straight.
Steal My Thunder had good momentum and hit the lead at the 150m, fighting on bravely to draw clear of Treybon and a game Cheney, winning by 1 – ¼ lengths.
Thurlow was rapt with the performance, praising Goindasamy’s effort from an awkward draw.
“Her run was very good, she did everything we could ask of,” Thurlow said.
“She left here in great order and travelled down well, then she was very well ridden on Saturday by the boy from that gate.”
While Steal My Thunder receives 10 points for winning the race, the competitive nature of the ODT series may mean she still misses a start on March 1.
“The motivation for sending her down was trying to possibly get into the ODT Final at Wingatui in two weeks’ time,” Thurlow said. “She needed maximum points to get in there and she got that yesterday winning, but at this stage, she may still struggle to get in.
“There has been a lot of qualifying races and she may not make the field, so it was a bit of a punt. She may not get in, but she’s still won a nice $50,000 race so there is no downside to it at all.
“If she doesn’t make that field, she will run in the 1400 on that day and head home.”
The victory was Thurlow’s 26th of the season, and while he had success over Cup Week at Riccarton, it was his first time racing in the deep south.
“I haven’t raced a horse down there before, it’s a pretty long way from home,” he said. “She left here on Tuesday and got there on Thursday, Ellis Winsloe very kindly looked after her for me.
“It was great that it all panned out in the end, I’ll be heading down for Wingatui.”
Bred by Grangewilliam Stud, Steal My Thunder is part-owned by farm owner Mark Corcoran, who stands Derryn. She is the second foal out of a Per Incanto mare Frequente, a half-sister to Justaskme, who was placed at Group One level and earned over $545,000.
