Promising colt Well Sprung delivered trainers Lyn Tolson & Leonie Proctor the biggest win of their training careers with a strong front-running win in the 2015 McKenzie Stakes at Moonee Valley this afternoon.
Well Sprung jumped straight to the lead in the early stages of the McKenzie Stakes and he opened up a big lead on the rest of his rivals after he was let go by jockey Michael Walker, which they were unable to close in the straight.
Walker said that his plan was always to take up the running on Well Sprung in the McKenzie Stakes and he was delighted with the performance of the Star Witness Colt, but he believes that the three-year-old may still be six months away from producing his best form.
“He is an exciting horse,” Walker said.
“He will be better autumn and I think that the Guineas and those sort of races are going to come too early for him.
“He has the ability, but mentally he is not there yet.
“He laid off the fence in the straight, but he is a nice horse on the up.
“I was going to be positive and I got there really easy.
“I actually had an easy lead and it was just a matter of sprinting home.
“Even though he was green I still reckon that he had a couple of lengths up his sleeves.”
Leonie Proctor was delighted to have claimed her first ever win at Stakes level with Well Sprung in the 2015 McKenzie Stakes, but like Walker she believes that the colt is still a while away from being at his peak.
Well Sprung has been included in the nominations for the Group 1 Caulfield Guineas (1600m), but Proctor said that she will let the dust settle before she makes any firm plans with the McKenzie Stakes winner.
“It is great,” Proctor said.
“He is a pretty nice horse in the making and he is still six months away.
“He is a colt, but he keeps his head together and he is pretty easy.
“Bringing him here on Tuesday helped a lot as well and he was a lot more relaxed here today than he was on Tuesday for his gallop.
“When Michael let him rip I thought it was going to take a lot for something to catch him and he has done a good job.
“We will sleep on it and see where we go from now with him.”
El Greco and Odyssey Moon both hit the line fairly in the McKenzie Stakes, but they were never a winning chance after being settled too far away from the lead.
