A genius Damien Oliver ride has helped Suavito record her fourth straight victory in the 2015 Blamey Stakes at Flemington this afternoon.
Suavito was far too good for her rivals in the 2015 Blamey Stakes at Flemington this afternoon. Photo by: Adrienne Bicknell
Suavito was slow out of the gates and could have been settled at the tail of the field, but Oliver elected to take the talented mare to the front and take up the running in the Blamey Stakes.
Oliver asked Suavito to do some work to get to the front, but she was then able to get away with some very cheap sectionals and she kicked clear of her rivals in the straight to score another impressive victory.
The Blamey Stakes victory was Oliver’s fifth in the Group 2 event, but there is no question that the talented hoop is still riding at the top of his game, with his decision to take Suavito to the front proving to be a winning move, but he was still quick to pay credit to the effort of the Thorn Park mare.
“It always looked a sticky gate out there and they were all looking at each other and nobody wanted to lead,” Oliver said.
“I made a gutsy move and took it up and it is good when it pays off.
“She has strung together four wins now and she has a nice picket fence.
“She is such a tough, honest, durable mare and she is in great form.”
Suavito recorded her maiden win at Group 1 level in the Futurity Stakes last start, but trainer Nigel Blackiston was confident that his star galloper had taken plenty of improvement from the run and would produce an improved effort in the Blamey Stakes and that assessment proved to be correct.
Blackiston said that he was keen to run Suavito in the Group 1 Doncaster Mile (1600m) at Royal Randwick on April 4, but he is unsure whether the four-year-old will earn a start in the race and she could remain in Melbourne for the Group 2 Sunline Stakes (1600m) at Moonee Valley on March 27 before heading to Sydney for the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2000m).
“Unfortunately she is 49th in the order of entry, so we might not make the field,” Blackiston said.
“We might possibly look at staying here for the Sunline and then go up to the Queen Elizabeth.
“That is the beauty of having a light weight, sometimes it can fall back in your face.”
Blackiston does not normally instruct jockeys to press forward on his horses in the early stages of the race, but he was happy to go with the judgement of Oliver and he was always confident that Suavito would be able to hold off her rivals in the final stages of the Blamey Stakes.
“That is why put D Oliver on isn’t it,” Blackiston said after the race.
“I am not a fan of leaders, but he summed the race up perfectly, got away with some cheap sectionals and kicked away.
“When they came at her I always knew that she would put in a good fight and she did find.”
Sertorius hit the line strongly to finish second in a good first-up effort, but could head straight back to the spelling paddock in order to be kept fresh for a 2015 Spring Racing Carnival campaign.
