QUALITY three-year-old gelding Inner Warrior raced his way to star status in Launceston last night with an emphatic win in the $90,000 Betfair Tasmanian Guineas over 1600 metres.
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Inner Warrior went into the race on the back of an impressive win in the 3YO Trophy over 1400 metres and connections were confident the gelded son of Gods Own had the stuff to demolish arguably the best Guineas field in decades.
Inner Warrior was well ridden by Tasmania's leading apprentice Siggy Carr who allowed her charge to settle just beyond midfield and settled three-wide with cover to the 600-metre peg.
When Car called on Inner Warrior to make his charge he quickly moved around the field and had the race in his keeping turning for home.
Quest Master led to the turn but the back-marker swooped although nothing could match Inner Warrior's brilliant turn of foot.
He hit the line with something in reserve to defeat Geegees Velvet by two lengths with interstate invader Countersnip a gallant third and just in advance of the Graeme McCulloch-trained filly Frolicked.
Inner Warrior's trainer Terry Evans was ecstatic after the race.
``I just heard someone call this horse a star and I'm here to say they got that right,'' Evan said.
``He isn't a flash looking horse and he doesn't have any sparkle about him but when it comes to being a racehorse he is just a thorough professional,'' Evans said.
``He has taken a few runs to come tight this season but when he won that 3YO Trophy race last start over 1400 metres I knew I had him right where I wanted him.
``He's a pleasure to train and the owners also are a great bunch,'' he said.
It was an emotional rider who admitted she shed a tear before she guided the gelding back to the unsaddling enclosure but understandably so as it was clearly her biggest win.
``I shed a few tears when we crossed the line because I have had a lot to do with this horse from the moment he was broken in,'' Carr said.
``It was a great feeling from the 600m because I knew he was going to win that far out. I am rapt for Terry (Evans) because he is a great trainer who has always had an opinion of this horse.''
Inner Warrior is raced by the Horse Racing Tragics syndicate that has had a lot of success with horses trained by Evan but Inner Warrior has the potential to be the best.