It was really pleasing to get another win with King of Vandals at Sportsbet-Ballarat on Sunday on the synthetic track. His record now progresses to three wins and he certainly has the capability to continue winning his fair share of races.
Nicknamed Ron after Ron Burgundy The Anchorman, this five-year-old son of Cambridge Stud’s former stallion Burgundy was nicely ridden by Michael Walker who timed his run superbly well.
Close finishes seem to be the flavour of the month for us, but a win is a win and there is no extra prize money for margins.
This meeting was transferred from the grass to the synthetic surface. Nigel was unsure how effective King of vandals would be on the synthetic track at Ballarat. Going through his record however, he did run a nice third as a younger horse at Pakenham where he made nice ground.
With a few scratchings in his favour on Sunday, Nigel decided to roll the dice and run him. A decision of course justified by the result.
As a rising 6YO, we’ve gotten to know King of Vandals pretty well and how to get the best out of him. He performs best at distances around 1500m to a mile. Keeping him fresh has also been a key to his success. He doesn’t thrive in long, sustained preparations – instead his best work comes when we keep him fresh and that’s how Nigel had prepared him for Sunday.
It was also pleasing to have some of the owners on course, albeit at a distance. Sharing a win with those that support the stable makes them even more special and something we have missed during a fruitful period.
Kanzai (3yo filly by Savabeel) also ran an impressive second earlier in the day for Brendan and Jo Lindsay at Cambridge Stud.
She is a nice filly in the making, especially as we step her out over further.
It would have been really suitable for her if she was over a mile rather than the 1400m, but just the way it falls she found herself just short of that trip.
There’s still a lot for her to learn but we are hopeful she can break her maiden next time over 1800m or 2000m.
Thanks to Brendan & Jo Lindsay, and to Henry Plumbtre and the Cambridge Stud racing team for the opportunity to train her.