Wollombi Secures Gai Waterhouse Classic Victory for Jockey Duric
(Ipswich) In a thrilling display of racing prowess, the former Sydney-trained mare Wollombi capped off a successful afternoon for experienced jockey Vlad Duric, delivering him a treble at the Ipswich races.
Duric had earlier secured wins aboard Wollombi’s stablemate Rockribbed, trained by Tony Gollan, as well as Hedged for the Mick Price and Michael Kent (Jnr) partnership. However, it was Wollombi’s triumph in the Listed Gai Waterhouse Classic that truly crowned the jockey’s impressive achievements on the day.
Starting at $12 with online betting platforms, the daughter of Extreme Choice drifted back initially, settling among the tailenders. However, Wollombi unleashed a powerful burst of acceleration, mowing down her stablemate Bezique ($9) by a half-length, with Party For Two ($5 favorite) finishing third.
“They went very quick. I was a lot further back than Tony and I planned,” Duric said. “But once I got out, she just exploded for me. Very impressive win.”
Formerly trained by the Snowden stable in Sydney, Wollombi was recently purchased by Yulong Investments for $500,000 at the Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale. The mare’s victory at Ipswich provided an immediate return on investment for her new owners.
Trainer Tony Gollan admitted that he was unsure whether Wollombi would peak in time for Saturday’s feature race. “I wasn’t sure where I was at with her a couple of weeks ago,” Gollan said. “She had to make up a bit of ground quickly and I thought the last ten days she made it up nicely. We came her quietly confident first run for the stable.”
The Gai Waterhouse Classic (1200m) marked Wollombi’s second black-type triumph, following her victory in the Group 3 The Vanity (1400m) at Flemington in February last year.
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