Rustic Steel has turned his recent form around to take out the inaugural running of the $2 million Big Dance (1600m) at Royal Randwick on Melbourne Cup Day for Newcastle’s premier trainer, Kris Lees.
Rustic Steel finished off his autumn campaign with a win in The Coast (1600m) at Gosford (1600m) before heading to Scone on May 13 to take out the Listed Darley Scone Cup (1600m), which qualified him for The Big Dance, but has failed to feature in his three starts this preparation.
Lees admitted himself during the week that Rustic Steel was his ‘No.1 seed’ of his four runners in the Big Dance, but his form had tapered in recent runs.
“I always though Rustic Steel was going to be our pick,” Lees said,
“But he has to turn his form around a touch.”
And turn his form around he did.
South Grafton Cup winner Surf Dancer ($12), from the Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott stable, gave them something to chase from the 800m, but Nash Rawiller had timed his ride to perfection on the Lees galloper who, after coming wide around the turn, saw daylight and exploded down the middle of the Randwick straight.
Claiming the lead at the 150m from the tiring Surf Dancer, Rustic Steel who jumped at $12 odds with online bookmakers, had the Gerald Ryan & Sterling Alexiou-trained Cisco Bay ($9.50) breathing down his neck in the closing stages, but the five-year-old Deep Field gelding continued to find, holding off the recent winner of the Big Dance Wild Card for the half-head victory.
The Annabel Neasham-trained $6.50 equal favourite Sibaaq ran on well for third, with Surf Dancer finishing fourth over the line.
The win took Rustic Steel’s earnings to over $1.7 million with 8 wins and 3 minor placings over his 17 start career to his name.
Lees couldn’t have been happier with his gallopers turn around in form.
“He really is a good horse. He qualified through the Scone Cup,” he said.
“That was on a six-day turnaround off The Coast. So, we put him away with this race in mind. He got a lovely ride from Nash. He had plenty of horse underneath him. He got him into clear air straightening up. I knew he’d be strong but was little concerned that last 100m. He had enough in the tank.
“I went off a touch early. I started to pull back that last 50m.
“Great result. Really thrilled for the staff at home. They’ve done a really good job with this horse. He’s a bit of a handful.
“And to the Wanless family, they’ve been so supportive. A lot of people to thank and it’s really rewarding.
“We have a base either end of the state to target the right races. Thrilled to have four runners in it.
“A bigger thrill to win it.”
Rawiller was thrilled to be crowned the inaugural Big Dance winner and thought the addition of blinkers helped do the trick.
“It has probably helped. I think this is the race Kris has targeted from a long way out and I think that was the difference,” he said.
“It wasn’t an afterthought. This is the race they wanted to win, and he was able to produce on the day.
“It was a high-pressure race. They all wanted to be there.
“He got into rhythm mid-race. I was happy where we were.
“He let go with a great turn of foot at the start of the straight. I was vulnerable late, that last 100m felt like 400m.
“Full credit to all involved with him. He was able to go right to the line.
“I couldn’t win an Everest or a Golden Eagle, but pretty happy with a Big Dance.”
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