Ecuador wins first race for almost a year
Aided by an impeccable ride from Adam Hyeronimus, Ecuador has won his first race for almost a year.
While many trainers are looking to Queensland winter riches, Gai Waterhouse is happy to keep Lord Mayors Cup winner Ecuador close to home.
The six-year-old’s Listed win at Rosehill on Saturday was his first for almost a year.
And Waterhouse was quick to praise his jockey Adam Hyeronimus who took him to the front and rated him to perfection with Ecuador ($7.50) holding off the favourite Lady Le Fay ($3.80) by 1-1/2 lengths.
“I told Adam to get him going and it was a display of front-running at its best,” Waterhouse said.
“Adam is a heavyweight jockey with a lot of talent but he is a bit injury-prone.
“And the horse has a lot of talent but he has done things wrong and stubbed himself in the toe.
“We have now barred the blinkers and he relaxed much better.”
Waterhouse said Ecuador would stay in Sydney for the winter staying features like the McKell Cup and Winter Cup.
“He will stay here now he is in form,” she said.
Although he hadn’t won for so long, Ecuador did run second in the 2015 Group One Epsom Handicap.
While the winner Winx went on to establish herself as the nation’s top horse with wins in the Cox Plate, George Ryder and Doncaster Mile, Ecuador has struggled.
“After the Epsom we ran him in the Group One Mackinnon Stakes and the Emirates in the spring,” Waterhouse said.
“But he has been a slow maturer and just didn’t handle things.”
One horse who does handle things well is Daysee Doom who lunged at Pioneering in the final strides of the Benchmark 78 for three-year-olds to make it three wins from three starts.
There was just a nose in it and the filly’s trainer Ron Quinton was impressed with her will to win.
“She never looked the likely winner inside the 200 metres,” he said.
“I had my fingers, toes and everything else crossed.
“It might not have been the strongest race for fillies and mares and she could be coming to the end of her preparation.
“But any horse that can win three from three must be good so we will think about what to do next.”