Top Queensland colt Sizzling silenced the knockers with a rousing victory in the Group 2 Sky Racing Queensland Guineas (1400m) at Eagle Farm on Saturday.
Sizzling ($3.80 fav) surged to the front at the 150m as the crowd roared and went to the line strongly to defeat Dances On Stars ($41) by a long neck with Lucky Hussler ($26) a long-head back in third spot.
Trainer Kelso Wood, who opted to use blinkers on the colt today, was relieved with the impressive win.
“He’s been vindicated,’’ said Wood. “He might have shown a few people up today.
“I think the blinkers today may have made him focus a bit better.’’
Jockey Chris Munce settled the colt in the last half-dozen but started to slide into the race three-wide about the 700m mark.
With a moderate pace, Munce continued to improve and sooled Sizzling to the front 150m from the post.
Sizzling, extremely popular with Queensland punters, is well on target for next week’s Stradbroke Handicap (1400m) in which he will carry 52kg.
Wood was disappointed at criticism of Sizzling’s previous two winter carnival starts when he finished sixth at Doomben and fifth at the Gold Coast.
“Those runs were enormous,’’ claimed Wood.
Source : Racing Queensland
Editor’s Note : Followers of our Trainers’ interviews would have backed the Guineas runner-up Dances On Stars (SP $41.00).
