Rank outsider Dee I Cee has produced an impressive turn of foot to win the Listed Premier’s Cup (1900m) at Rosehill Gardens this afternoon.
Dee I Cee mustered an impressive staying effort to win the Listed Premier’s Cup. Photo: Steve Hart
Dee I Cee was all but abandoned in Premier’s Cup betting markets in the hours leading up to jump, but did his chances of overcoming the trend no harm when jumping well and taking an ideal position in transit within the field of eight.
Settling into a good rhythm and experiencing a carefree run in transit as Classic Uniform and Broadside traded blows on pace, jockey Rachael King allowed the horse plenty of time to balance upon arriving the final straight, the horse took advantage of his staying abilities and easily overcame the tiring field to secure his first black type win in Australia.
Co-trainer Adrian Bott was pleased with the horse’s performance and win in the Premier’s Cup and revealed that the Group 1 The Metropolitan (2400m) in late September will figure as his major campaign target this time.
“It’s been a long time coming for him,” Bott said.
“He showed great staying ability over in New Zealand when we purchased him initially, he ran third in the Derby over there.
“It’s just taken him a long time to get into this form. We’ve been really patient with him and hopefully it will pay dividends now.
“It worked out well today for us. He was in an unsuitable race first-up, 1400m and he was just never able to get into it.
“He needed a trip like today and the pace was on early, and Rachael was able to take a deep breath and get him into a nice rhythm. The race panned out exactly how we wanted it to.
“He ran a great race in the Newcastle Cup last year and finished second and we were hoping to go to The Metropolitan, so I think we’ll follow a similar path this time around and hopefully we can improve on last year’s performance.”
In being crowned the Premier’s Cup winner, Dee I Cee has extended his career record to three wins and seven minors, from only sixteen starts.
