East beats west as Stratum Star wins Kingston Town Classic
CHAMPION trainer Darren Weir has again prepared a Group one winner as eastern raider Stratum Star edged out local favourite Scales Of Justice right on the line to win the $1 million Kingston Town Classic.
The 2015 Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes winner took out his second Group one race of his career at the $11.20 price at Crownbet.com.au after the five-year-old ate up the ground in the final 150m to topple Scales of Justice ($1.85 at Sportsbet.com.au), who looked like it had pinched the race after dashing clear in the final 300m.
It was the third-straight year the race has had to go to the judge to determine the winner.
Last year’s Kingston Town winner Perfect Reflection ($1.80 to place at WilliamHill.com.au) fought through traffic at the turn to round out the placings.
The win for Stratum Star snapped a losing streak which extended back over 13 months.
Western Australian native Damian Lane powered Stratum Star to the line to win the final Group one race of the Perth summer carnival, and the rising star said his horse got a race that perfectly suited his ability.
“[Stratum Star got a] soft run from barrier one and he just had the last crack at them,” he said.
“It all worked out perfect.”
The 22-year-old said he thought the race was in hand as the field turned the corner but underestimated the fighting qualities of the Railway Stakes winner.
“I thought I had him easy at the top of the straight, but gee at the 100m I didn’t know,” Lane said.
“Scales Of Justice kept kicking really strong and made a good fight of it.”
Darren Weir took the winner down an unusual route in preparation for the race, electing to trial the horse twice prior to the Kingston Town Classic run.
Weir said he was not happy with the conditioning of the horse in the lead up.
“[We] went the double trial, I came and had a look at him last week and I thought he looked a bit big underneath,” Weir said.
“He had a good [secondary] trial, William Pike rode him and he gave him a good hit out.”
The win was Darren Weir’s 17th Group one success of his career.
The champion trainer was effusive in praising the hospitality of the local Western Australian trainers, saying that Stratum Star would not have been able to compete in the Kingston Town without the generosity of the locals in the west.
“You’ve got to have the facilities to be able to train these horses,” he said.
“Unfortunately we beat [Scales Of Justice trainer Lindsay Thomas’] horse but Lindsay was great enough to let him use his track.”