Cherokee Warrior showed that he does not need a heavy track to do his best when he fought on like a Cherokee brave to win the Class 1 Handicap over 1450 metres on a good 3 track at Muswellbrook this afternoon. From an inside gate, Jeff Penza had intended to lead but, when he was unable to do so, he took a sit behind the leaders and when they compounded in the straight, he grabbed the lead and held on for a courageous win.
Today was his second win in this campaign, and he is now benefitting from race experience and shows promise over 1400 – 1600 metres. Congratulations to his owners who are now starting to enjoy the rewards for their patience.
Later in the day, JJR was unlucky not to qualify a second horse for the Country Championship Final at Randwick next Saturday. From a wide barrier, Because We All Can just failed to hold on to second place in the Wild Card heat at Muswellbrook and ran third, a short-half head behind second place. The ‘Family Horse’ ran a superb race and has come a long way in this campaign with two wins, two seconds and two thirds from her six starts. The only consolation is that the second horse, Rose’s Song, is trained in Canberra and gives the Nation’s Capital three of the sixteen runners (great for the region when it was originally excluded for the Country Championship).
JJR will be represented by Just A Blur in the Final next Saturday and we wish the stable and a great bunch of owners all the best for a fabulous day and, hopefully, a raucous celebration.