PINKER PINKER SURPRISES IN COX PLATE

Click above to watch Pinker Pinker winning the Cox Plate (G1)
(Image : Adelade Now - Footage : TVN)

TATTS W.S. COX PLATE (Group 1)
Moonee Valley, Turf, 2040m
22 October 2011

Runner-up in last month’s Stocks Stakes G2 and in this month’s Epsom Handicap G1, Pinker Pinker (Aus) (Reset) took a vital step forward and caused a 25-1 shock with an impressive victory in Saturday’s A$3million Tatts W S Cox Plate G1 at Moonee Valley.

The bay distaffer settled off the pace in a midfield eighth as favored Helmet (Aus) (Exceed and Excel) crossed over from his wide alley and led, but she was shuffled back through the pack as the tempo increased inside the final half-mile. Finding a dream rail on the home turn, she angled outside in early stretch and took off once given a couple of flicks of the persuader inside the closing panel to win by a hard-held 1 1/4 lengths from Jimmy Choux (NZ) (Thorn Park), with Rekindled Interest (Aus) (Redoute’s Choice) a further half-neck back in third.

“Greg (Trainer Greg Eurell) didn’t give me any tied down instructions and we both had the same game plan from that outside draw in 12,” revealed winning jockey Craig Williams, who also lifted last week’s Caulfield Cup G1. “I trusted her, we took the runs when they came and she was great. When we got out, I thought we had to chase down a superhorse in Jimmy Choux, but when I gave her a smack, she just lifted. She is so tough and honest, and to win a race like this in the style that she did is just fantastic.”

Greg Eurell, who represented Australia at Los Angeles’ 1984 Olympic Games, added, “My ultimate goal was to get to an Olympic Games and I didn’t think anything would surpass that, but today has.”

Extract from Thoroughbred Daily News