The Leon and Troy Corstens & Will Larkin stable’s incredible run of form has continued, with Baraqiel ($3.70) finishing with a slashing run to claim a dominant victory in the Group 2 McEwen Stakes at Moonee Valley on Saturday afternoon.
The son of Snitzel didn’t begin racing until May of this year, and in eight starts he has gone from a Maiden winner to Group 2 success in a little over five months, with Ben Allen riding him in every start to date.
Racing in Bennett Racing Colours, the six-year-old gelding landed in the perfect one-one position from barrier five behind Mornington Glory ($8.50) and Oscar’s Fortune ($3.30), who led the field up.
As the whips began to crack, Mornington Glory took over from the tiring leader, but it was Allen, on the eventual winner, who sat quietly and loomed large on the outside.
Allen asked for the ultimate effort turning for home and Barqiel exploded with a blistering turn of foot to race away from his rivals, recording a 2.75-length win over I Am Unstoppable ($5.50) and Mornington Glory.
2024 McEwen Stakes replay – Baraqiel
Will Larkin represented the winning stable in the post-race interview.
“We’ve always had a good opinion of him, but they’ve got to go to the racetrack and do it,” Larkin said.
“That’s why we were, time after time, going through these things taking us back – setback after setback — but we just had to press on, and there was a time there where the owners were ready to give it all up.
“It was ‘good on’ Troy, he said, ‘I’ll cop the rehab by myself and I‘ll get him back up and going because you’re not losing this one’.
“He’s quite special. The margin, he hasn’t been doing that in maidens and coming through the classes.
“It’s just so exciting. I get a bit emotional.
“It’s taken a lot of work to get him here. You know, we’ve always thought that once he’s able to take a sit off him and not do all the work for the rest of them, we’re going to see an even better horse.
“(It’s) going to be an option (The Meteorite) but I think off the back of that a Group 1 is probably going to be in the forefront of our mind at the moment but where he goes to it’s exciting, you look in the calendar there’s so many good races for him and to sit there and put a line around a big group one like that is pretty special.”
Ben Allen was elated with the win, and he spoke post-race.
“He’s a proper horse,” Allen said.
“Just been so lucky. Leon and Troy will sound like I’m on repeat at the moment, but they’ve been so good to me, giving me these opportunities.
“Nathan Bennett, I can’t thank him enough.
“He’s just getting better and better.
“His work here on Tuesday was outstanding and he just did it with ease and worked with another nice horse.
“Just the feel he’s been giving me, he feels like a proper Group 1 horse.”
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