Rubicon Crossing Cracking in Australian Debut
Date: 1 Oct 2023
There was plenty to like about the fresh-up win by Rubicon Crossing (3 f Rubick – Miss Foxwood, by Fastnet Rock) in the $50,000 Benchmark 64 1000 metres for three-year-old fillies on Saturday at Mornington, Victoria.
A debut winner of the first two-year-old race last season at Wanganui, Rubicon Crossing finished second in both the Welcome Stakes (Listed, 1000m) and Wellesley Stakes (Listed, 1100m), and stretched out nicely for close fourth in a trial on 29 August at Waipa.
Ridden by Harry Coffey, a Group One winning apprentice, Rubicon Crossing made her hefty impost (61kg) appear featherweight as she engulfed the field and raced away to win by nearly three lengths.
“It was a great fresh-up win,” said co-trainer Mark Walker, there to saddle following an enthralling track record performance by stable-mate Imperatriz (I Am Invincible) to nab her sixth Group One victory in the Moir Stakes (Gr. 1, 1000 metres) on Friday night at Moonee Valley.
“She’s not very big, but she’s got good fighting qualities and I think we learnt something today about the best way to ride her, settling off the pace and she really attacked the line.
“I don’t think that will be her last win and there’s just so many suitable races for her over here.”
On Good3 footing, Rubicon Crossing ran 1000 metres in 57.5 and paid $5.20 & $2.60 on the NZ TAB tote.
Owned by Fortuna Rubicon Crossing Syndicate (Mgr: John Galvin), she was purchased for $120,000 by David Ellis CNZM and Fortuna Racing at the 2022 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, from the draft of Attunga Stud, Scone, NSW.
“It was a pretty good field and the feedback we were getting from Ben Gleeson (assistant trainer) was that the field came up a bit stronger than we were anticipating,” Galvin said.
“But she’d done everything right. They’d worked on a few things over there, with some gear changes related to a high head carriage, so they’ve been working her in a bungee which helps keep her head down.
“We were confident she was going to run okay and the plan was always to run her with cover. Mark (Walker) had been saying it for awhile and although she stepped a bit slow today it worked out well and you probably wouldn’t have wanted to be on any other horse on the (home) turn.
“She showed a really good turn of foot. Maybe not as impressive as Imperatriz last night, but nevertheless it was reasonable carbon copy and Harry (Coffey) was quite glowing in his post race assessment.
“We’ve sent her to Australia so that she can contest these sorts of races (1000 – 1100m), there’s so many of them and we’re thinking she probably deserves a crack on a Saturday at one of the city tracks (Caulfield, Flemington, Moonee Valley).”
By a good sire of two-year-olds, Rubick (Encosta de Lago), from a Fastnet Rock (Danehill) mare who won twice at 1400 metres, her grand-dam, Foxwood (Centaine), won the 2000 Guineas (Gr. 1, 1600m) and Captain Cook Stakes (Gr. 1, 1600m).
Her third dam, Delia’s Choice (Sir Tristram), is a sister to four-time Group One winner Sovereign Red, who included the Australian Derby (Gr. 1, 2400m) and Victoria Derby (Gr. 1, 2500m), and Gurner’s Lane, winner of the Caulfield Cup (Gr. 1, 2400m) and Melbourne Cup (Gr. 1, 3200m).
It is also the family of NZ-bred Australian star galloper Mr Brightside (Bullbars), a dual winner of the Doncaster Mile (Gr. 1, 1600m) among four Group Ones.
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