Financier returns to winner’s circle at Hastings
Celebrations were in order for Cambridge trainer Stephen Marsh as his dependable four-year-old, Financier, triumphed at Hastings on a rainy Saturday.
The son of Tavistock, lightly raced but consistently impressive, showcased his prowess under a composed ride by Opie Bosson.
Positioned midfield on the fence, Financier smoothly navigated through the field on the home turn, surging into contention at the 150m mark.
After a close call when finishing second to Jimmysstar earlier in the Hawke’s Bay Spring Carnival, Financier refused to be denied on Saturday, holding off the runner-up, Don Pauly, by half a neck at the post.
Despite the inclement weather, Marsh maintained good humour.
“I really like this horse, it’s funny the weather seems to be getting warmer here; it’s not so cold,” joked Marsh.
“Opie gets on really well with him, and he sort of said for the last couple (of starts) he’s got to the front too easy and knocks off.
“You could see today he ranged up to them, and in the last five or six strides, he started to knock off again.”
“He’s a cool customer, he’s got a nomination for the Coupland’s Mile (Group 2, 1600m), so he could end up getting down there at some stage, but he’s a really nice horse.”
The track conditions had deteriorated to a Heavy 9 by the time of the sixth event, but this posed no challenge for Financier, navigating the heavy surface with ease.
Bosson, returning from a successful stint in Australia, was impressed by the four-year-old’s performance under the 60kg topweight.
He remarked, “He got through the ground really well, he traveled nicely, and all the gaps opened up at all the right times, we probably got there a little too easy.”
The victory added to Bosson’s recent triumph in claiming the Group 1 Moir Stakes (1000m) at Moonee Valley with Te Akau’s star sprinter, Imperatriz.