Step up set in stone for Serious Hoffa
A BRILLIANT front-running display from in-form jockey Chad Lever has seen Serious Hoffa take out the last race at Gosford on Saturday, which now looks set to rise in distance following a strong victory at the 2600m journey.
4 winners for Chad Lever @gossytrack today, says he's done it a few times in SA but a first in @racing_nsw @SkyRacingAU #topwork
— Richard Haynes (@Haynsie75) July 29, 2017
The four-year-old gelding was looking to bounce back after a disastrous run at Taree just over a week ago and was given a well rated ride from Lever, who took the horse to the front at an early stage and was never headed to return +480 at CrownBet.com.au.
The favourite in the race Red Dream was shuffled back early in proceedings and was left with too much to do as the post loomed, but still managed to claim second and deliver +100 at WilliamHill.com.au.
Misty Mountain Hop rounded out the placings but did not generate a dividend in the smaller field.
Serious Hoffa’s trainer Jason Deamer was full of praise for the South Australian native Chad Lever in the wake of the impressive win.
“He jumped and he just lobbed along in front,” Deamer said.
“It was a very smart ride by Chad, I just left it up to him and he said ‘we might lead if there’s no speed there’ and he just controlled it and he was just very strong in the end.”
The win was the fourth success for the son of Bon Hoffa, which made a winning debut at the 2600m journey after previously never traveling beyond the 2200m mark.
Deamer said the team will now shift their focus from Gosford to a race in the coastal surrounds of NSW in the coming weeks, which will also include a step up in journey for the gelding.
“There’s a race in Newcastle in two-weeks time that is run over the 2900m so we’ll go there now.”
The win was one of the more impressive triumphs of the day at Gosford, and the horse looked to have the race won at the 400m mark.
Deamer agreed his Serious Hoffa made the field look ordinary in the last race on the card, admitting the second and third place getters were the only horses that looked capable of toppling his elect.
“There was only him and the other two that were taking him on, and there was a pretty big gap back to the rest,” he said.
The trainer said only a duo of runners in the field threatened to disrupt the rhythm of Serious Hoffa in the front, but he was adamant the horse would salute once they fell away.
“Once the other two dropped off we were pretty confident.
“It was a good, strong win.”