Sandown Double

A highly successful day for the stable at Sandown on Wednesday with two winners and a third from our three starters.

Kicking off an early running double was the promising two-year-old African Pulse who displayed speed and a determined will to win at debut.

Masterfully ridden by an in-form Lisa Cropp, the colt handled the heavy going with aplomb, saving ground close to the rails approaching the turn before going wide into the straight – drawing clear over the final stages to win by a length with plenty in hand.

A NZ $130,000 Karaka graduate selected by Paul Moroney, African Pulse is raced by Lorne Bloodstock, David & Brenda Duchen, Paul Duchen, C Casper, Con Barbayannis, Paul Williams, Con Tangalakis, the Tirileni Syndicate and the GLM Syndicate.

By Hennessy's six times Gr.1 winner Johannesburg out of an imported half sister to the UK stakes winners Governor Brown and Hataab, African Pulse hails from the same family as the Queensland Oaks winner Zagalia and the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe hero Levmoss.

Always well regarded by the stable – winning an early jump-out in New Zealand before heading to Australia where shin soreness thwarted a Golden Slipper campaign, African Pulse has been rated by Michael Moroney as “our quickest and most forward two-year-old.”

“He is a nice, strong horse who has won both of his Flemington jump-outs,” he said, “and he has been a professional all the way through.”

Cropp was much taken with the style of African Pulse’s victory – “he was very tough,” she enthused.

“This is a good horse going places for sure – I didn’t even get to the bottom of him. I thought I may have got to the lead a bit quickly but he started to pull away over the final stages.”

Success again in the very next race with imported mare Park View making it two wins from her two Australian starts.

Debuting with an easy Cranbourne victory over 1500m, the well related four-year-old was again too tough over the mile – fighting back after being clearly headed half way down the straight.

“Her work in between her two starts had been super,” Cropp said, admitting that she was confident going into the race. “She was a little bit fresh around the back but she really kicked on well to the line.”

“She is going to make a nice staying mare,” Moroney added, admitting that he had not been confident of her handling the heavy going with all of her UK form being on dry tracks.

Raced by John O’Neill, Roberto Scheriani, Mark Pejic, Randal Shreeve, Richard Starkins, Adam Kirkwood-Scott, Max Tsang and Carty Racing, Park View is one of ten nice horses purchased by Paul Moroney from the UK last year – another of those being Glass Harmonium who went so close in last Saturday’s Gr.2 Hollindale Cup at the Gold Coast.

Picked up at a Tattersalls Horses In Training Sale for just 33,000 guineas, Park View is by the Canadian triple Gr.1 winner With Approval out of a full sister to the French Gr.1 winner Tenby.

It was almost a city treble with the last of our three runners, Little Slapper, going down in a close finish in the 2400m event.