Assign stays best to win Group 3 Neville Sellwood Stakes
MELBOURNE Cup form was to the fore at Rosehill in the Neville Sellwood Stakes as Assign went through conditions the best.
The Robert Hickmott-trained gelding was second up after running last in the Victoria Cup last start, but the classy-at-best gelding had previous run in the 2016 Melbourne Cup.
That experience proved too good for its rivals in the $150,000 group three as Assign continued its terrific second-up statistics of five starts for three wins and two placings.
In-form jockey Ben Melham didn’t ride in the first race at Rosehill on Saturday after missing his flight, but he showed good patience and allowed Assign ($8.70 at Ladbrokes) to find its feet in the straight when holding out the fast-finishing Astronomos.
“They ran along a pretty nice tempo,” Melham said. “They went a bit quick for him early so I let him find a rhythm.
“They put a gap on him at the top of the straight but I knew he’d keep coming.”
The leaders had won the first two races with ease which forced punters to try their hand at backing Classic Uniform, but it was Assign which sat in behind the pace to kick best.
“I would have preferred to be outside the leader but the tempo was solid enough. He got into a great rhythm,” Melham said.
Melham said it was a pleasure to ride for Team Williams, which didn’t have a representative on track at Rosehill on Saturday.
“It’s a fantastic stable to be riding for. They have a lot of quality horses,” Melham said.
“Robert Hickmott and Lloyd are both very astute horseman. They’ve got good horses that are going places. Enjoying it while it lasts.”
One of the biggest runs came from Single Gaze which made big ground late for jockey Kathy O’Hara.
“Great run from her today. She’s come back a different horse, she feels like she’ll run 2400m – not that I didn’t think she could run that last time but she’s definitely looking for this distance and further,” O’Hara said.
“I think she’ll sprint better on top of the ground – she loomed up and she was entitled to get a little tired.
“Really happy with her.”
In second position was wet-track extraordinaire Astronomos, which loomed as the winner halfway down the straight, but it couldn’t continue on with it.
“Hit the front at the 200m, all over the winner but just didn’t quite go on,” jockey Jason Collett said.