Weir wins consecutive races on Melbourne Cup Day
DARREN Weir scored back-to-back wins on 2016 Melbourne Cup Day at Flemington when Jennifer Lynn won the Lexus Hybrid Plate.
The tactics were obvious before the race started and punters knew Blake Shinn would drop the three-year-old to the rear of the field, and we saw earlier in the day with Kinema that you can win from the back.
Its odds took a big drift from $8 to a closing price of $13.80, but more than $16 was offered for the High Chaparral filly which has now improved its record to four wins from five starts.
“She’s going well, she’s a real testament to Darren Weir…taking her through the grades, picking out the right races for her,” winning rider Blake Shinn said.
“She’s got staying blood lines, she’s definitely going to get further.
“We rode her quiet today off her bad draw, let her settle and worked into the race nicely around the turn. I balanced up around the 300 (metres) and I thought I was going to be in the finish, which she was certainly going to be, but I was right out wide so it was hard to weigh up where I was.”
Shinn loves winning on Melbourne Cup Day and believes Jennifer Lynn has a strong future.
“She’s got plenty of scope going forward. This is the biggest day in Victoria, biggest day in Australia to ride a winner,” he added.
Darren Weir wasn’t overly confident the filly would win at Flemington on Tuesday, but the pleasantly-surprised trainer enjoyed the spoils.
“To be honest I thought i’d be a bit hard for her today, the way we were going to ride her,” Weir said. “She hit the line well, got the bob down at the right time.
“She’s a really nice filly.”
Weir is thinking about sending the progressive filly to Sydney later in the campaign.
“Might have to look at Sydney. She did that on raw ability, still plenty to come.”
Prompt Response was narrowly beaten in second with the Chris Waller-trained Invincibella flashing home for third.