Driving finish: The Matt Laurie-trained gelding Riddle Me That sticks his neck out to win the Listed Bendigo Guineas. Picture: Supplied
HORSE RACING
THE Matt Laurie-trained Riddle Me That has topped off an impressive campaign with a narrow but decisive victory in the Listed Bendigo Guineas on Saturday 28 March.
The three-year-old son of Deep Field kicked off his preparation in fine form with a dominant victory at Pakenham before having a luckless run at Flemington when posted three-wide the entire trip and still managing to secure second place.
The gelding turned the tables on the victor from last start, Spend, with a narrow head victory in the $150,000 Bendigo Guineas.
Given the perfect ride from jockey Daniel Stackhouse, the gutsy gelding managed to sit one-out, one-back behind Spend in the running after drawing barrier 10.
In a three-way drive to the finish between Spend, Riddle Me That and the John Sadler-trained Score, the toughness of the Matt Laurie-trained galloper eventually came to the fore with a length margin covering the first four past the post.
Mornington-based trainer Matt Laurie said the gelding just continues to improve with every preparation.
“He’s a tough horse and he’s got that galloping style where he really gets his nose out and it was enough to get the job done today,” Laurie said post-race.
“He ran particularly well at Flemington and we had another wide draw here today which was a little bit disappointing, but it was a great ride by Daniel, and it was good to see him get the win.”
As for where the gelding heads to next, Laurie said it was currently undecided because of the unpredictable nature at the moment with the coronavirus restrictions.
“I think this horse can continue to improve – he’s done that every preparation,” he said. “Honestly, I’d have to go through the calendar and talk to the owners about what we do next time now that everything has been thrown into disarray but certainly this was a target and it was good to get it done.”
The victory took Riddle Me That’s rating to 79, with his current record now standing at four wins and four placings from 10 career starts.
