The Grey Flash stormed home late in the 2015 South Australian Sires Produce Stakes to record his maiden race win in the Group 3 event at Morphettville this afternoon.
The Grey Flash pulled a shoe heading to the barriers before the start of the South Australian Sires Produce Stakes and the start was delayed by over five minutes as the farrier attempted to fix the issue.
The Grey Flash storms home late to win the Group 3 SA Sires Produce Stakes at Morphettville. Photo by Jenny Barnes
Jockey Joe Bowditch elected to settle The Grey Flash towards the tail of the field in the South Australian Sires Produce Stakes and he track into the race nicely, while pre-race favourite Caro Kann was caught wide on the speed.
The Grey Flash took a while to pick up in the straight, but he flattened out impressively in the last 150 metres to record an impressive victory from Petracca and Caro Khan.
The Not A Single Doubt gelding was purchased for $90,000 at the 2014 Magic Millions Adelaide Yearling Sale and he made his racing debut in the Group 3 Emirates Airline Plate (1000m) at Flemington on Melbourne Cup Day, but he was not ever to get into the race and finished towards the tail of the field.
Trainer Robbie Laing elected to give The Grey Flash three barrier trials ahead of his return to racing and he hit the fairly to finish a credible fifth in the Adelaide Magic Millions Classic (1200m) at Morphettville on Adelaide Cup Day before he produced the best effort of his racing career to date in the Group 3 Campolina Stud Breeders Stakes (1200m) at Morphettville on March 28.
Caro Kahn went into the SA Sires Produce Stakes as a clear favourite following her impressive wins in the Wolf Blass Handicap (1100m) at Gawler on February 21 and the Robert Taranto Handicap (1100m) at Caulfield last weekend, but jockey Matthew Neilson was never able to get the Denman gelding to settle.
The two-year-old was still able to hit the front at the 200 metre mark, but she clearly tired late and was run down by The Grey Flash and Petracca.
The South Australian Sires Produce Stakes victory of The Grey Flash was Robbie Laing’s first winner at Group level in South Australia since Heaven’s Riches in the Chairman’s Stakes (2000m) at Morphettville in 2012.
