Bills A Goodie gives trainer Darryl Roberts his first city win
TRAINER Darryl Roberts has registered his first ever metropolitan race win after Bills A Goodie took out the second race at Randwick as one of the outsiders in the field.
Bills A Goodie ($15 at Sportsbet.com.au) was one of only three horses in double figures in the open affair, but looked to be out of gas after leading for the majority of the race.
The seven-year-old gelding was able to pick itself up off the canvas after being headed by race favourite Medieval ($1.90 at WilliamHill.com.au) to kick back on the inside and claim a spectacular win.
Allzin flew home on the outside to claim third and return $3 at Crownbet.com.au.
Despite looking beaten at the 200-metre mark, Bills A Goodie found an extra gear late to topple its much more fancied rival, but surprisingly trainer Darryl Roberts said it was a common racing trait of his galloper.
“That’s the way he races,” Roberts said.
“He has trouble. He drops the bit at the 600 (and when) everybody else is always looking to go forward and make ground and he’s losing ground,”
“(But) soon as he gets around the corner and gets to the straight, he goes again.”
Bills A Goodie was able to snatch cheap sectionals at the front in a race that suited the leader, which Roberts attributed to jockey Andrew Atkins.
“(It was a) brilliant ride,”
Andrew Atkins said a pre-race chat between jockey and trainer helped devise the tactics which would ultimately win the race.
“(Trainer Darryl Roberts) said ‘he takes a bit of riding just coming to the turn’ and I said ‘well why don’t we just put him right up on the speed?’” jockey Andrew Atkins said.
“(We) Got it real cheap early and I was able to skip away on the turn,
“He hit the line really well when they attacked him.”
Atkins said the horse responded when it needed to once the favourite presented its challenge.
“He lifted that last 100, I’ll tell you that,” the jockey said.
“When (Medieval) put a head on him he picked it back up and put another half head on them.”
“It was a very tough win and it was pretty good.”