After debuting last December in Listed company at Wyong and finishing more than six lengths away in 10th, Cholante made amends in fine style on Friday afternoon by trouncing her rivals in a $50,000 Class 1 Handicap over 1100m.
The Clarry Conners-trained three-year-old by Choisir caught the attention of many with a first-up win at Nowra on August 21 in maiden company, scooting along the fence to win by nearly five lengths, and she quite clearly improved from that win, looping her rivals in a matter of moments on Wyong Gold Cup Day.
Ridden by William Pike from barrier three, the filly landed four pairs on the inside of horses, but the Group 1-winning hoop never panicked, presenting her to the outside on the point of the turn before she let down with one fell swoop to win under lock and key.
“I was beaten for speed early – I sort of thought I would be – but maybe not quite that much,” Pike told Sky Racing.
“She got up on the bridle probably from the 700m onwards, and as soon as I got on the back of Hugh Bowman who was pressing forward, I was pretty confident.
“To be honest, I had a lot of respect for Bayezid, I wasn’t sure how we were going to measure up, but she was too good.”
While the boom filly doesn’t hold a nomination for races like the Golden Rose (1400m) or Thousand Guineas (1600m), her trainer will have plenty to think about over the coming weeks as a number of three-year-old feature races creep up.
According to Conners, a tactical change has brought out the best in Cholante.
“She’s jumped up out of the ground – she was a nice little filly early on – but when we realised to ride her back off the pace, it just turned her around,” the winning trainer said.
“Honestly, she couldn’t win at the 600m. Couldn’t win – he was half scrubbing her. But when she sees daylight, she’s just a bullet.
“She’s a tough filly. I don’t know where she’s going. She’s surprised me how great she’s going.
“She was a nice filly, now she’s gone to another level.”
Cholante has now won two of her three career starts, while she’s taken her career earnings beyond $40,000, almost repaying her owners after they purchased her at the 2021 Gold Coast Magic Millions Yearling Sale for $45,000.
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