Promising stayer Bring Something will head to the 2014 Queen Elizabeth Stakes after he recorded a tough staying win in the Bendigo Cup this weekend.
Bring Something (seen here winning the Galilee Series Final) delivered trainer Ken Keys another feature race win in the 2014 Bendigo Cup. Photo by: Race Horse Photos Australia
Order Of The Sun was well-backed in the lead-up to the Bendigo Cup and was expected to take up the running in the early stages of the race, but Team Williams-trained Massiyn was pushed forward to take the lead.
Jockey Kerrin McEvoy elected to take control of the race at the 1000 metre mark and he turned the race into a true staying test, but he tried to give the Encosta De Lago entire a breather with 600 metres left to run and that caused the rest of the field to bunch up coming around the final bend.
At the 300 metre mark there looked to be several winning chances and Massiyn looked the winner when he took the lead with 150 metres left to run, but Bring Something was too strong in the final stages and got his nose in front in the shadows of the post.
Trainer Ken Keys has had an outstanding run during the 2014 Spring Racing Carnival, highlighted by star three-year-old Rich Enuff, and he was delighted to score another feature race win in the Bendigo Cup.
Keys believes that Bring Something still has plenty of improvement in front of him and he said that the four-year-old would run in the Group 3 Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2600m) at Flemington on Emirates Stakes Day before being set for the 2015 edition of the Melbourne Cup.
“I don’t want spring to stop, it is wonderful,” Keys said.
“I think we can go to the Queen Elizabeth and then it will be put away time and I think we have an exciting horse to look forward to next year.
“It is crazy, we have 18 in work at the moment, but we are playing at the top end of the level.
“We know it has to stop, but it will be fun when it does, we will go on a holiday.”
Jockey Luke Nolen partnered Bring Something for the first time when he took out the Jordans Cereals Bowl Handicap (2400m) at Caulfield on October 15 and he now has two wins from as many starts on the four-year-old after steering him to victory in the Bendigo Cup.
Nolen also believes that Bring Something still has plenty to learn and said that he probably should have run away from the rest of the field in the final stages of the race, but he feels that he is heading in the right direction.
“This bloke is still working his craft out,” Nolen said.
“I probably hit the front at the furlong and probably gained a nice advantage, but he still hasn’t completely worked out his craft and I had had to get moving when I did because he takes a bit of staking up.
“He is an exciting stayer going forward.”
Keys will have the chance to record a maiden win at Group 1 level when Rich Enuff contests the Group 1 Coolmore Stud Stakes (1200m) at Flemington on Saturday.
