HORSE RACING

CLIFF Brown’s promising three-year-old Yaphet has started to deliver on the stable’s high hopes with a narrow but decisive win at Sale on Friday 15 April.

Mornington-based trainer Cliff Brown has always thought the gelded son of Blackfriars would make a “nice horse” and his victory on Friday over another highly-spruiked galloper So You See re-assured that belief.

The pair were neck-and-neck all the way down the straight but it was Yaphet who managed to get his nose down at the post to win the $100,000 benchmark 64 contest. There was a staggering six-length margin back to the rest of the field.

Brown was certainly pleased with the result, with Yaphet having only had won a maiden race from his nine prior starts.

“He’s always given the indication that he’s above average. It was nice to see him do it,” Cliff Brown said.

“There’s been a few errors made along the way and his record should be better than it reads but it’s good to start to see that promise be delivered. The second horse looks a really nice one too and they pulled away from the others so that was good to see.”

Brown pinpointed a 2000m three-year-old contest at Caulfield early next month that could suit the progressive stayer for his next outing.

Brown’s star sprinter The Inferno also competed in the $500,000 The Country Discovery at Sale on the same day.

He settled in his usual position towards the rear of the field and looked to have something to offer turning for home but wasn’t able to let down in the straight. He finished back in seventh and was 6.5-lengths away from the winner, In The Boat.

Brown believes he may not have had him fit enough after suffering a couple of setbacks throughout this prep.

“He hasn’t had a proper hit out since September,” Brown said. “He almost fell first-up in February and just followed the field around, and then we missed the run in the William Reid last month. He had a few jumpouts heading into Friday but it’s shown that it’s just not the same as race-day fitness.”

Brown expects the talented sprinter to bounce back next start, as he did in his first prep in Australia when winning the Group 2 McEwen Stakes second-up.

“He over-raced similar to his first race in Australia (finished sixth) and he just knocked up,” Brown said. “He should improve with that under his belt now.”

The Inferno’s next race is yet to be decided.

First published in the Mornington News – 19 April 2022