Yourdeel Delivers When It Counts

The Informant reports:

Trial form was put firmly in the background by Yourdeel when he made his raceday debut in the Wentwood Grange Premier at Te Rapa today and delivered a runaway victory.

The best that the showy son of former star galloper Dundeel had delivered on the trial track was a third over 610 metres at Te Teko in August. In two more recent trials he had been unplaced, but he was all business in today's 1200-metre race.

Opie Bosson, teaming up again with trainer Jamie Richards, had Yourdeel travelling well midfield and when he popped the question he got an immediate answer.

Yourdeel strode up to challenge, ran greenly for a few strides with 250 metres to run and then left his rivals standing to score by five and a quarter lengths. The placegetters were headed by Flaunting, who just held out the late finisher Power's That Be.

“Everything was spot-on today,” said Bosson. “He travelled up and he had heaps there when I needed it.

“A couple flicks and it was all over, he obviously took a lot out of his trials and fronted up today.”

Yourdeel was bought for $100,000 at this year's National Yearling Sale by Horowhenua horseman Chris Rutten is raced by him in partnership with John Norwood and Rod Preston.

Rutten and Norwood won the 2014 Karaka Million with Vespa and now they're hoping for a repeat at Ellerslie in late January.

“Chris selected him at Karaka and said he could be our next good one,” commented Norwood. “After seeing him do that just now, he might be right.”