Trainer Joe Pride won his second Group 1 race in the space of a week with Tiger Tees taking out the Group 1 $400,000 Bloodstock.com.au Galaxy (1100m) at Rosehill today.
Tiger Tees, green and gold sleeves, holds off Anatina to win the Galaxy. Photo by Steve Hart.
Leading Sydney jockey Nash Rawiller was able to lift Tiger Tees over the line for Pride after Jim Cassidy scored an all the way win on Steps In Time in last weeks Group 1 $600,000 Coolmore Classic (1500m) at Rosehill.
Tiger Tees ($13), one of three runners Pride saddled up in the Galaxy was given a great run by Rawiller sitting on the leaders heels and fought hard to the line after hitting the front at the 300m to hold off the fast finishing Anatina ($15) and Villa Verde ($6 equal favourite).
Pride’s other runners, noted front runner Rain Affair ($6 equal favourite), was slow to leave the gates but made ground quickly to put pressure on the leader Kencella ($6 equal favourite) but once again folded in the straight to finish tenth while See The World ($8.50) raced off the pace and made a short dash in the straight to wind up in seventh spot.
Tiger Tees was coming off a ninth to Villa Verde in the Group 2 $400,000 Challenge Stakes (1000m) at Randwick on March 15 but Rawiller said that the six year old was never out of trouble.
“I told the owners he would win,” Rawiller said.
“Last start he tracked up beautifully behind the good horse Buffering and also Whittington, he just got held up for a run up the straight. Had he had a run like we had today he would have right in the finish.”
“I knew he had good improvement still left in him. I said to the owners before the race he has come here on a heavy that suits him and sometimes you need that little inch in your favour to win them.”
“He hit the front at the three hundred and it was a long three hundred.”
Pride was over the moon to win two Group 1s in the space of a week and said that everything has just come together for Tiger Tees.
“It’s not bad, in seven days. He loves the sting out of the track and a perfect ride from Nash,” Pride said.
“He was drawn to get a good run and panned out beautifully for him. He got the perfect trial here today.”
