Clinton McDonald will give Bletchingly Stakes winner Second Effort the opportunity to go back-to-back in next month’s Peter Lawrence Stakes.
McDonald said Second Effort, the luckless runner in the Sir John Monash Stakes, had been targeted at four weight-for-age races at Caulfield.
He added that Second Effort, a winner of the past two Wangoom Handicaps, continued to “turn up” whenever the challenge arose.
“He’s a great horse,” McDonald enthused.
“He keeps turning up. He was very unlucky in the Monash and we were confident coming into the race.”
McDonald said the “grand final” for Second Effort would be in the Memsie Stakes, which has been elevated to Group 1 status this year.
The Group 2 Peter Lawrence Stakes (1400m) is at Caulfield on August 17 with the Memsie Stakes a fortnight later over the same track and distance.
Second Effort, backed from $6 to $5.50, held off the fast-finishing Academy Jack, $41, to win by a long neck to give Brad Rawiller a double. Rawiller earlier won on Midnight Glory.
Launay, well supported from $7.50 to $6, was an identical margin away third.
Pago Rock, a drifter from $3.30 to $3.80, was given a lovely ride by star apprentice Chad Schofield, but was unable to deliver the same finish he did when he won the Sir John Monash Stakes.
Schofield said that he believed that Pago Rock raced best with a greater space between his runs.
Source : TVN
