Barend Vorster was always comfortable near the rail, and that intuition paid off when he won from the inside on Belle Plaisir in the $152,250 RA Lee Stakes (1600m) at Morphettville.
He also held his nerve when Struck By was going full bore and two lengths clear after the turn.
2022 R A Lee Stakes Replay
That was also when eventual runner-up Cherry Tortoni launched his run on the outside for Patrick Payne.
But Vorster’s veteran judgment on the Tony and Calvin McEvoy mare was too good, the five-year-old prevailing on the line.
“I don’t feel like she was held up much. I was very confident where I was knowing that the horse in front of me was the one who was going to take me all the way,” Vorster told Racing.com.
“So whichever run he chose I was always going to take the opposite. And I was very happy to see when he elected to go to the outside, and I just took up the inside.
“Today she showed what sort of ability she’s got.”
More horse racing news
