Rank outsider Tiesto gave 82-year-old Longford trainer Ken Hanson one of his biggest thrills when he stormed home to win the $150,000 Gold Sovereign Stakes at Mowbray on Wednesday.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Starting officially at $48 and closing at $67 in fixed-odds markets, Tiesto scored by a half length from dead-heaters Gee Gee Secondover and Lady Pluck.
Hanson, who has spent a lifetime in racing, trains in partnership with his daughter Tanya and, to complete a memorable day for the family, his grandson Jason Maskiell was the winning rider.
Tiesto, a Tough Speed gelding bred by Armidale Stud, was an $11,000 buy at the Tasmanian yearling sale.
Despite the horse's long odds, Hanson said he went into the race with plenty of optimism.
"His trackwork rider thought he could win on his work and, when I saw the leader Mister Songman get run down in the previous race, it gave me confidence," Hanson said.
"I knew he'd get back in the field and he was second-last at one stage."
Maskiell said that Tiesto "wouldn't go early."
"They were really motoring early and at the 800m I thought if we could run eighth and earn prizemoney we'd be doing a good job.
"But when I gave him a dig he really responded and it was then just a matter of getting a run.
"I went for two gaps that closed but when he got clear he really exploded.
"He's going to be even better suited over further than 1200m so they can freshen him up now and head to the Sires Produce (1400m)."
The Gold Sovereign was Ken and Tanya Hanson's biggest win as training partners and the family's biggest success since they won the $100,000 Hobart Guineas with 20-1 chance Moonless in 2014.
VICTORIAN jockey Damien Thornton landed a feature double with brilliant rides on Uber Ed in the $50,000 3YO Classic and Chillout in the $50,000 GBI Racing Quality.
The Scott Brunton-trained Uber Ed, a $7 chance, overpowered favourite Mister Songman in the closing stages to score by a neck.
The Barry Campbell-trained Chillout came from second-last without leaving the fence to win by a length at double-figure odds.
Brunton said that Uber Ed was a promising horse "with a few problems including equine asthma."
"He's also only tiny so the handicap conditions suited him," the trainer said.
"You can beat good horses when they've got to give you a bit of weight."
Uber Ed carried 5kg less than Mister Songman.
Chillout completed a double for Campbell who also won the Benchmark 62 with favourite It’s A Battle.
