It appears driver Caleb Lewis has the answer to Cryptic Chance, an all-the-way winner of the Darren Guthridge and Beljon Pastoral Co Pace (1790m) at Mount Gambier.
The Kevin Brough-trained six-year-old, a $16.20 chance, came back after being headed to score a half-head win from Officianado ($3.10 fav) with So Demanding ($21.90), 8-1/2 metres away third.
Brough’s partner Rebecca East, who was looking after Cryptic Chance, said all credit had to go to Lewis.
“Caleb gets on really well with this horse,” East said. “Tonight’s win is the fourth for Cryptic Chance and Caleb has driven him in three of them.
“Cryptic Chance is a half-brother to Wenbro but unfortunately they don’t have the same type of race record.”
The winner is owned and was bred by David Carrigan from Tarpeena in South Australia’s South-East.
Despite East playing down Cryptic Chance, the gelding has built a record of four wins and 10 placings from just 32 starts with a best winning mile rate of 1:58:3 but his stakes tally is just in excess of $15,000.
Driver Jayson Finnis, who drove the runner-up Officianado, was quite frustrated post-race.
“He just doesn’t want to win,” Finnis said.
“He got a length in front and thought he had done enough, and the winner came back to beat him.
“It’s not the first time it has happened and it is something we have to work on.”
