Malaguerra sprints best in Group 1 Darley Classic

Malaguerra
Malaguerra wins the Group 1 Darley Classic at Flemington for Peter Gelagotis

AT just its second start for the Gelagotis stables at Moe, Malaguerra ($8.60 at CrownBet) was able to win the Group 1 Darley Classic at Flemington on Saturday.

The five-year-old winner of 10 races was formerly with Lee and Anthony Freedman, but in a shock earlier this year the connections changed tact and it has seemingly paid off.

The son of Magnus showed it had lost nothing since changing stables and it was too quick for them down the Flemington straight.

Stable manager Manny Gelagotis was on track at Flemington and he paid credit to its previous owners.

“The horse has had a few trainers, I understand that. I really appreciate the previous work done on the horse,” Gelagotis said.

“We had him fresh, this horse has a lot of quirks. His attitude today was unbelieable, his application to success.

“Credit to the owner, he’s given us the opportunity of a lifetime.”

Malaguerra is the best horse in the Gelagotis stables and for a smaller stable, having a marquee horse can make all the difference.

“There’s always pressure when you get these good horses, but we delivered today. My brother (Peter), he’s an incredible trainer, I’m thrilled for the owner and Pete,” Gelagotis said.

“I’ve been saying for a long time that this is our mantra, we’ve been going well, our boutique stable is what we want and we want these kind of horses.

WilliamHill.com.au

“This is our advertisement for our business and I can’t believe we’ve won the Darley Classic, it’s unbelievable.

“This particular horse has improved out of sight. This is a really, really big result, I’m just happy for everyone.

“I tipped this horse two months ago, this has been four months of planning. When you get to the big dance and you’ve had all the plans come together it’s unbelievable.”

Brother and trainer Peter was also thrilled with the result and is grateful for the opportunity to get given such a high-profile type.

“I felt I didn’t need to improve the horse, the horse was already proven,” Peter Gelagotis said. “At the end of the day, my time in the games not going to be forever and I’m just grateful for the opportunity. We’re appreciative people and we understand how it all works.”

Winning jockey Ben Melham was confident heading into the race and he gave Malaguerra every chance to win.

“I’ve had a lot to do with him,” Melham said. “I was very confident coming to this race today, as confident as you can be in a Group one.

“You have the right sort of run, we covered and let him go through his gears and he was sensational to the line today.

“He’s a winner, this is what we work for, this wee and this carnival.”

Spieth was gallant in second place and with another 50 metres it would have likely nabbed Malaguerra. The Bryce Heys-trained runner proved it can sprint with the best of them and will certainly keep for the future.

Our Boy Malachi unfortunately suffered its second bleeding attack in Australia and is subsequently banned from racing in Australia.

Related Posts

Subscribe
Notify of
guest
0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments