Front running filly Sunlight cleaned up her rivals with a powerful display of speed to lead all of the way to win the Group 1 $500,000 Keogh Homes William Reid Stakes (1200m) at The Valley on Friday night.
Sunlight, above, scored an all the way win in the 2019 William Reid Stakes at The Valley. Photo by Ultimate Racing Photos.
Sunlight jumped from the outside gate in the nine horse field but jockey Luke Currie was not frightened to let the Tony McEvoy trained filly use her early gate speed to cross the field in the first 100m and when Jordon Childs on Written By handed up the lead, another Group 1 was virtually sixty seconds away.
Currie was able to dictate the race from the front and after giving Sunlight ($1.70 favourite) a little breather mid-race, the filly went on to record a three quarters of a length win over the fast finishing Spright ($7.50) with the $51 outsider Ellicazoom filling third spot.
The Williams Reid Stakes was Sunlight’s third Group 1 win, adding to her wins in the $1.25m Seppelt Newmarket Handicap (1200m) at Flemington two weeks ago and in the $1m Coolmore Stud Stakes (1200m) at Flemington on the first day of the 2018 four day Melbourne Cup Carnival.
McEvoy will now turn his attention to Day One of The Championships in Sydney and set Sunlight for the Group 1 $2.5m T J Smith Stakes (1200m) at Randwick on April 6.
’That’s where the best sprinters go and that’s where we’ll head with her now,’’ McEvoy said.
“She rises to the occasion all the time. She loves the pressure of these elite races and I’m so proud of her.
“It stands the hair up on the back of my neck when you think of the level that she’s up with now and the great horses of the past.
“These are big time races and there’s so much more to come with her.
“She could be one of the best of the best.”
Sunlight is now on the third line of betting for the T J Smith Stakes at $9 with Ladbrokes.com.au behind Osborne Bulls at $5.50 and Redzel and Trapeze Artist who share the $7 mark.
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