Hurtle Myrtle held off a fast finishing Sacred Choice to win the Myer Classic
Damien Oliver has executed a Derby Day winning double aboard Hurtle Myrtle in the $500,000 Myer Classic at Flemington.
The five-year-old mare took on a fast finishing Sacred Choice down the home straight after the two horses overtook race favourites More Joyous and Mosheen.
Sacred Choice held on in the race for second, while Dysphonia rounded out the placings in third.
This was just the fourth career win for Hurtle Myrtle, who up until now had struggled to perform in Group 1 races.
Prior to her Myer Classic victory, the Dane Shadow mare’s biggest wins were in both the Group 2 Sapphire Stakes in April and the Group 2 Dane Ripper Stakes during the Brisbane winter carnival.
Jockey Damien Oliver confessed that he had been secretly confident Hurtle Myrtle would be at her best for today’s Myer Classic.
“I thought she had sneaky chance today,” Oliver said.
“I thought if I could have some luck from the awkward gate (we might win).
“It was a good win.
“All credit to Matthew Smith, he’s done a wonderful job with this…mare.”
The Matthew Smith-trained mare was purchased at the 2008 Inglis Classic Yearling Sales for just $55,000.
Today’s Myer Classic win has taken Hurtle Myrtle’s prize money tally to more than $740,000.
| Finish | No. | Horse | Jockey | Trainer | Weight | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 7 | HURTLE MYRTLE(13) | Damien Oliver | Matthew Smith | 57.0 | 1-37.50 |
| 2nd | 2 | SACRED CHOICE(15) | Corey Brown | Joseph Pride | 57.0 | 1.3L |
| 3rd | 8 | DYSPHONIA(7) | Kerrin McEvoy | Peter Snowden | 57.0 | 1.5L |
| 4th | 10 | SKYERUSH(4) | Steven Arnold | Guy Walter | 57.0 | 4.2L |
| 5th | 3 | LADY LYNETTE(3) | Michael Rodd | David & Scott Brunton | 57.0 | 4.4L |
| 6th | 16 | MOSHEEN(11) | Craig Williams | Robert Smerdon | 49.5 | 4.5L |
| 7th | 1 | MORE JOYOUS(12) | Nash Rawiller | Gai Waterhouse | 57.0 | 6.5L |
| 8th | 14 | BANCHEE(14) | James McDonald | John Sargent | 56.5 | 8.3L |
| 9th | 11 | GOON SERPENT(6) | Nicholas Hall | David Jolly | 57.0 | 11.3L |
| 10th | 13 | SISTINE ANGEL(5) | Danny Nikolic | Andrew Noblet | 56.5 | 11.8L |
| 11th | 5 | MAJESTIC MUSIC(1) | Craig Newitt | Leon Macdonald & Andrew Gluyas | 57.0 | 14.8L |
| 12th | 4 | RESPONSE(2) | Dwayne Dunn | Mathew Ellerton & Simon Zahra | 57.0 | 15.2L |
| 13th | 9 | VARENNA MISS(8) | Steven King | Tony Noonan | 57.0 | 15.5L |
| 14th | 15 | BORN TO ROCK(10) | Glyn Schofield | Michael Moroney | 56.5 | 18.2L |
| 15th | 17 | GUISEPPINA(9) | Joao Moreira | S. Ramsay & J. Ritchie | 57.0 | 43.2L |
| Src | 6 | MOMENT IN TIME | Joao Moreira | John P Thompson | ||
| Src | 12 | YOSEI | Michelle Payne | Stuart Webb |
