The odds on favourite Libertini had to work hard to get the required result to claim the Group 2 $200,000 Darley Furious Stakes (1200m) at Randwick today.
Libertini, above, scores a narrow win in the Furious Staikes at Randwick. Photo by Steve Hart.
Libertini made it four wins from five starts and kept her reputation intact when she collared the leader Villami over the final fifty metres to record a neck win with Let It Pour running on into third position.
The punters didn’t want to back anything else and the Anthony Cummings trained Libertini was sent out as the very short quote of $1.18 but the result wasn’t clear cut until the concluding stages.
Runner up Villami ($16) set the pace in the early and middle stages and made a race of it with the favourite while Let It Pour ($19) was doing her best work in the run to the line.
Winning jockey Tommy Berry quickly had Libertini settled behind the two leaders Villami and Kiamichi and held the held the filly together until the top of the rise when Berry started to release the brakes.
Libertini strolled up to Villami and then had to dig deep after the leader fought plenty in reserve.
““She’s run very good time again. She is probably going to be a better horse with a few weeks between runs. She’s done everything we’ve asked her to do and won again well,” Berry said.
The Furious Stakes is the second leg of the Darley Princess Series and Libertini is on track to claim the Series after winning the first leg, the Group 1 $200,000 Darley Silver Shadow Stakes (1200m) at Randwick.
“She was up to the task. We’ve won the second leg of the Princess Series. I think the way the races have played out today it favoured horses on speed. Watching the race I thought she was a length too far off them. There was a fair bit of merit in what she did,” Cummings said.
“We’ll go to that race (Tea Rose) to give us a guide.”
“We’ll assess after the race in two weeks (for The Everest) but I’ve got Baller for the Everest and he was more convincing.”
The Group 2 $200,000 Darley Tea Rose Stakes (1400m) is the third leg of the Princess Series at Randwick on September 21.
Libertini has cemented her place at the top of the betting for the Group 1 $500,000 Darley Flight Stakes (1600m) at Randwick on October 5 while the I Am Invincible filly is also in the market for the $14m The Everest (1200m) at Randwick on October 19.
