Ken Casellas | Photo: PACEPIX
New Zealand-bred five-year-old Vanderbilt enhanced his reputation as one of the State’s toughest pacers when he overcame a wide barrier and a testing run in the breeze before he scored a fighting win in the $27,000 TABtouch Punters Club Pace over 2536m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Vanderbilt, trained by Ray Williams and driven by Dylan Egerton-Green, was excellent value as a $14.40 chance from out wide at barrier seven.
Egerton-Green sent Vanderbilt forward three wide to quickly move to the breeze while the polemarker Caberneigh ($3.80) was setting the pace while the $2.25 favourite Mikis Pride was enjoying a good run in sixth position, one-out and two-back.
In-former pacer Mr Fantastic ($7) had a perfect sit behind the pacemaker before suffering an atrial fibrillation approaching the ball and then being retired from the race.
Caberneigh sprinted over the third quarter of the final mile in 28.3sec. but was unable to hold out the strong-finishing Vanderbilt, who won by a half-length from $11 chance Rolling Fire, with Caberneigh a half-head away in third place, just ahead of Mikis Pride.
The final 400m was covered in 28.6sec. and Vanderbilt rated 1.58.4. This improved his record to 28 starts for twelve wins, six placings and stakes of $115,880. He is by Always B Miki and is the fifth foal out of Traceys Delight, who managed four placings from 14 starts before being retired.
Egerton-Green was impressed with Vanderbilt’s performance at his second start after a three-month absence, saying: “everything worked out well after he got an easy first quarter (31.3sec.). And then he ran a nice final 1200 metres.”