Promising Prestar

Astute placement by trainers Tony & Calvin McEvoy saw Prestar score an impressive victory on the Randwick Kensington circuit on Wednesday, August 27.

Prestar, on the way back from a successful Queensland campaign, stopped off in Sydney to take out the Schweppes Handicap (1150m).

Intelligently ridden by jockey Ashley Morgan, the three-year-old ($3.40) scored a half-length win from the odds-on $1.95 favourite Johnny with third-placed Stormland ($4.60), a distant 6-1/4 lengths away third.

Morgan settled Prestar second outside the leader, then asked him to extend 300 metres out and the colt quickly grabbed a three-length break. The runner up took ground late as the colt tired but was never going to catch the winner.

Now, the trainers are considering staying in Sydney and looking at a possible feature run.

Trainer Tony McEvoy said the stable had always held the son of Zoustar in high regard and believed he had stakes-class ability.

“Really impressive young horse. A horse we’ve got a lot of time for,” McEvoy said.

“He is still working it all out and I thought he was fantastic today considering he hadn’t run for nearly eight weeks.

“I think he is a black-type horse. After his maiden I went straight to black-type, and I asked him to do something that he couldn’t do. He just got it all wrong and he didn’t have the experience, and you get exposed pretty quickly at Listed level.

“I’ll talk to Ash (Morgan) to see where he thinks he’ll fit and whether we stay and run in another stakes race here like a Run To The Rose or whether we should be running a bit lower than that.”

Morgan has been keen to stick with Prestar since partnering him to his Sunshine Coast placing.

“He was excellent,” Morgan said.

“The plan was to be outside the lead, but the danger was that the leader was not going to take us far enough into the straight, and it didn’t.

“I didn’t want to push the button too soon but wanted to keep his revs up.

“I rode him work Saturday and thought his best part was his work late.

Today, he quickened up really well.

“He can go up in grade, and if he learns to relax, his turn of foot would be amazing.

“I loved him when I rode him at the ‘Sunny’ Coast and I was filthy I got beaten,” Morgan said.

“He crabbed a little around the turn today but when he balanced up he let rip. I was really surprised to see one near me because I feel like I really let go of him to put the race to bed.

“If he can hold that turn of foot over a longer trip he is a very good horse.”