Sebring Sun scores overdue win at Bendigo
Four-year-old Sebring Sun has broken through for his first win since August 2015, which could provide a stepping stone to bigger targets.
Sebring Sun won the Listed Rosebud Quality in August 2015 and was third in the Group One Golden Rose later that preparation when trained by Gary Portelli.
He joined the Darren Weir stable in the middle of last year and Saturday’s victory in the Mypunter.com Handicap (1100m) was his first win for his new stable.
Sebring Sun had finished third in four of his six starts in his first preparation for Weir and was dropped in class for Saturday’s benchmark-84 race after a second-up sixth in Listed grade at Moonee Valley.
After settling just behind the lead from the inside draw, Sebring Sun ($4.40) took a split at the 200m and sprinted through to defeat Savaju by a neck, with favourite Star Stealer ($3.80) 1-1/4 lengths in third.
Weir’s racing manager, Jeremy Rogers, said the Group One Goodwood in Adelaide in May had been an aim when the horse first came back into work this preparation but noted he would need to improve to get there.
“Even before he came to us he was Group One-placed in Sydney so he’s always been a good horse but just never quite had the luck,” Rogers said.
“He ran a couple of good races in the spring and then tapered off so he turned him out and brought him back hoping to maybe get him to something like The Goodwood.
“But we’ll see how he goes. He would need to improve but he was good today anyway.”