A patched up Hey Doc had the right remedy for success with an all the way win in the 2019 Group 1 $1m Crown Perth Winterbottom Stakes (1200m) at Ascot in Perth on Saturday.
Hey Doc, above winning the 2017 Manikato Stakes, scored an all the way win in the 2019 Winterbottom Stakes at Ascot in Perth. Photo by Ultimate Racing Photos.
Hey Doc was having his second run back from a long injury enforced lay off but showed that he still had his Group 1 winning ability with a two and a half lengths victory in the feature sprint of the 2018 Ascot Racing Carnival.
The Tony and Calvin McEvoy trained sprinter defied a betting drift from $8 to $13 after drawing barrier thirteen in the fifteen horse Winterbottom Stakes field but flew the gates and crossed the field with ease to dictate a moderate tempo out in front.
Winning jockey Luke Currie controlled the race to perfection and once he lengthened the reins at the 300m, Hey Doc speed away to claim his third Group 1 trophy.
Runner up Vital Silver ($7) had Hey Doc in his sights for most of the race but couldn’t match it with him in the run to the line while Rock Magic ($31) tried hard in the straight to find third place.
Fourth placegetter and $2.90 favourite Trekking had a nice run back in the middle of the field but was held up for clear space in the early stages of the straight and was left flatfooted but found the line late to finish three lengths behind Hey Doc.
“He was going even time outside them there,” McEvoy said.
“I thought to myself “this is ridiculous.’ He got there in a hand canter.
“I said to Luke don’t rush and let them find their spots and then we’d come across.
“Well, he got there so easy. It was incredible. Then I knew he would be very hard to pass.”
The Winterbottom Stakes win was the first Group 1 success for the father and son training partnership after they joined forces in September this year.
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