A masterful James McDonald ride has given Chris Waller his eighth Wyong Gold Cup (2100m) as Durston raced away with the $200,000 prize.
The seven-year-old by Sea The Moon couldn’t beat a runner home last start at Randwick in the Premier’s Cup (2000m) when leading, but McDonald rode the well-supported stayer more conservatively in Friday’s Listed event before presenting him to the middle of the track on the turn.
Waller trained the first four horses home in the race, but it was the $1.65 favourite, Lord Ardmore, who missed out on a podium finish after leading.
Yiyi closed off well into second, while Our Intrigue finished off the race strongly to run third, nosing out Hugh Bowman aboard the odds-on favourite.
The 2022 Wyong Gold Cup belongs to Durston!
@mcacajamez putting on an absolute clinic with that ride, not only does @cwallerracing train the winner but the first 4! pic.twitter.com/WiSSZ9Ai90
— SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) September 2, 2022
“He’s a good horse, he’s just been racing a bit fiercely in his first few starts for us, but I think the ultimate gear change was putting a Norton Bit on – it’s a bit more of an aggressive bit and it did it’s job today,” stable representative Damien Fitton told Sky.
“It was a great ride by James. He just went back to the rear of the field and let him switch off, he (Durston) dropped his head for the first time today since we’ve had him and that told the tale in the finish.
“He was able to conserve some energy and that was the winning move making the run when he did.
“He was too good on the day and it’s onwards and upwards for him.”
Following his easy win in the Wyong Gold Cup, Durston firmed into $11 for The Metropolitan (2400m), while he halved his quote to $51 in the Melbourne Cup (3200m).
In-form mare Meg took out the first Listed event at Wyong on Friday afternoon, swooping down the middle of the track to grab the heavily backed Katalin right on the line in the Mona Lisa Stakes (1350m).
The Matthew Dale-trained mare was an impressive winner last start at Randwick in Fillies & Mares Benchmark 78 company when a $41 chance, and the market overlooked her once again as she claimed Friday’s race as a $31 hope with online bookmakers.
Ridden by Hugh Bowman, the five-year-old was given an inch-perfect steer from barrier 14, with the track pattern favouring the fast-finishing daughter of Sebring.
Meg takes out the Mona Lisa in a boilover!
@HugeBowman gets the best from the mare for the Matthew Dale team! pic.twitter.com/G62t1tb2g6
— SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) September 2, 2022
“Wide with momentum looked to be the key, and as the day went on, I thought the wide barrier looked an advantage not a disadvantage,” Dale told Sky Racing.
“Hughie was confident. He was really happy with her win the other day – he was watching on replay – and he went out there with confidence.
“I effectively thought if she ran second or third, she’d have run out of her skin, but to get up and grab the win right on the line was very rewarding.”
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