Connections thrilled with Polly Grey after Gosford Gold Cup win
The theory that grey horses love the wet was franked on Saturday as the Chris Waller-trained Polly Grey took out the Listed Gosford Gold Cup.
The daughter of Azamour got a perfect run in transit over the 2100m event and went on to justify her favouritism, winning by three-quarters of a length over Aliferous.
The Soft 7 track was rated favourably for the six-year-old mare, and she got the run to suit despite the wider barrier (7), giving Waller and Tommy Berry another feature win.
“She just got across beautifully, she switched off nicely and she was just too good,” said Waller’s stable representative Damien Fitton.
“She’s actually thrived this preparation.
“These mares that come from New Zealand kind of take a preparation to acclimatise to Australia although it’s not that far away.”
After winning the Group 3 Epona Stakes two starts earlier, where she defeated Aliferous by a similar margin, she went to the Group 3 JRA Plate when fourth behind Paths Of Glory and impressive Hollindale Stakes winner Zaaki.
“Look, she’s come into her own this prep and the owners had a lot of fun with her,” Fitton said.
“She just keeps improving.”
Polly Grey’s win was part of a double triumph for the Berry/Waller partnership on Saturday, and the hoop was full of praise about her run.
“She’s been placed very well by the team,” said Berry.
“I know they’ve had this race on the radar for quite a while with her.
“The track was perfect; she has had a great preparation.”
Berry added that he didn’t expect to be as close in the run with the mare given the wide gate.
“I was a little bit closer than I expected,” he said.
“A couple of the inside speed horses didn’t show as much speed.
“We just rode her like the best horse and it paid off.”
Berry partnered Polly Grey back in March when she ran fifth in her second-up run this time in, so he knew what to expect of her in Saturday’s Cup.
“She’s quite a big, strong brute of a horse,” he said.
“I rode her just before she won with James (McDonald), and I had a tough run albeit over a mile and she was still quite big in condition then.
“She still feels like she’s got plenty of racing and she’s had a few runs now so very well done by them (Waller’s stable).”
Polly Grey is a $13 chance in both the Group 1 Doomben Cup on May 22nd and The Q22 at Eagle Farm on Stradbroke Day on June 12th.