Antipodean (NZ) (Derryn) fought hard to win the M$200,000 Selangor Gold Cup (1600m) at Selangor racecourse on the track and the stewards room on a special day for jockey Bernardo Pinheiro who rode six winners.
Young guns Antipodean and Golden Pegasus were the only horses seriously backed to the win the Selangor Gold Cup this year and as expected dominated the finish of the race. The two horses had swept the Selangor Turf Club age group races this season, with Antipodean winning the three-year-old series and Golden Pegasus the four-year-old series.
After settling midfield Antipodean and Golden Pegasus found their gear and raced up to the tiring leaders at the 200m before racing away to fight out the finish. Golden Pegasus gained a half length advantage before Antipodean fought back to snatch victory by a head
After the race, jockey Ruzaini Supien on Golden Pegasus filed a protest against the winner for alleged interference but was dismissed.
“Great effort from Antipodean,” said trainer Simon Dunderdale, who brought him for $23,000 from the draft of Regal Farm at the 2022 Ready To Run Sale.
Antipodean has now won seven of his eight races and beaten (into second) for the first time last start.
“He’s a tough horse and was caught three-wide most of the way. Bernardo is a terrific jockey. The race proved to be a real battle to the finish and we had to survive a protest.”
“It’s a unforgettable day for me,” said Pinheiro. “I feel explosion of emotions and couldn’t be more happy.”
“First of all, I broke my own record of riding five winners in a meeting which I did twice, here in Kuala Lumpur in 2019 and again in Singapore last year.”
“Secondly, to win another gold cup, I just can’t express how happy I am with that. I have to thank Simon (Dunderdale) and his team and everyone involved for that.”
“Thirdly, with today’s six winners, I have reached 700 wins in my career. For that there is a lot of people I would like to thank for their support.”
“Antipodean is special, wonderful horse. He ran with his heart, a real fighter, a horse who would not give up.
“We were a bit of worry about the distance, the mile. We were drawn wide so I didn’t have the perfect race, the chance to get closer to the rails. We were caught wide but the horse travelled well so it gave me the confidence.
“At the top of the straight, he shied a bit and hang in. The other horse (Golden Pegasus) passed me by half a length but I felt my horse wasn’t going to give up. He gave everything for me and I gave him everything.
Other New Zealand bred winners at Selangor on Sunday were Commander (NZ) (U S Navy Flag), Michikawa (NZ) (Proisir), & Hazard (NZ) (Rageese).
