Defiant cripple About To Rock and 22-year-old rising star Kate Thompson made history taking out the $500,000 Hankook Tyres Hunter Cup at Moonee Valley today.
Thompson became the first female driver to win the world’s richest handicap with a sensational drive on $16 outsider, the injury plagued About To Rock.
The win was a personal triumph for leading Victorian trainer Andy Gath given the obstacles About to Rock has conquered to continue his racing career let alone taste Group 1 success.
Both he and Thompson were in tears after the amazing victory.
“This horse broke a pedal bone in his first race start, and then fractured two cannon bones and was out of racing for over 18 months,” Gath said.
“This is the biggest thrill of my career, this race is awesome at the best of times but to win with a horse like this makes it so special,” he said.
Gath said the comeback hero almost retired after the six-year-old’s below par performance in the Popular Alm Free For All in early December.
“We decided we would take him to the vet and if we found anything that we couldn’t treat we would retire him,” Gath said.
“Luckily we only found a couple of niggles and he has been able to come and win this race….he’s such a great performer.”
Thompson was ecstatic with the win quickly topping her previous career highlight achieved last month with a win in the South Australian Derby.
“This would be anyone’s biggest thrill and it certainly is for me,” the diminutive reinswoman said.
“This race has as much prestige as an Inter Dominion and I am delighted to be lucky enough to win a prestigious race so young.”
It was perfect drive by the South Australian native who drove aggressively early in the race to hold the lead from the pole in the standing start event.
“We planned to hold the lead for as long as we could before handing up to the right horse,” Thompson said.
Bobs Blue Boy challenged for the lead first, but Thompson booted up with About To Rock up to hold the lead.
The next challenger was Dinki Di and Thompson allowed the tough New South Wales pacer to roll to the lead and take a sit, waiting for the sprint lane.
“There were a couple of horses that we decided we would hand up to and Dinki Di was one of them, it just took him longer to get up there than what I had planned,” Thompson said.
Dinki Di kept the pace genuine for the remainder of the race as the three-wide train kept coming with Robin Hood, Sting Lika Bee, Howard Bromac all moving around the field to race in the death seat.
SEW-Eurodrive Victoria Cup champ Be Good Johnny was posted three-wide for the final 1200m, giving stablemate Slipnslide and last week’s Moonee Valley Cup winner Winforu three-wide cover.
As the field rounded the home turn the winner looked as though it would come from either Slipnslide and Winforu as they swooped, however they had no answer for About To Rock who used the sprint lane to surge clear of the pack in the final 50m.
The Jayne Davies-trained Tromos made it a Victorian quinella as Chris Alford weaved a path through the sprint lane behind the winner after being buried three-back the pegs in running.
No Blue Manna, who finished fast in the middle of the closing pack, managed to grab third ahead of Slipnslide and Winforu respectively.
About To Rock, who posted his 17th win from just 34 appearances, more than doubled his bankroll for owner Rob Nalder with victory in the time honoured event taking his career earnings rocketing past $540,000.