Wrinkly Wraps Up Mandurah Cup
13 January, 2019
Thoroughbred
Tough galloper Wrinkly has delivered apprentice jockey Kate Witten the perfect birthday present, taking out the Mandurah Cup (1400m) at yesterday’s standalone meeting.
After a campaign that included unplaced runs in the Group 1 Railway Stakes and Group 3 A.J.Scahill Stakes, the Neville Parnham-trained Wrinkly relished the drop back in class in yesterday’s $100,000 event.
Vital Silver, a short price favourite with TABtouch, jumped to the lead, while Wrinkly was forced to settle outside the grey.
Witten was then able to lift Wrinkly to victory in the closing stages, in what was arguably the biggest win in both the horse and jockey’s career.
Witten, who turns 23 today, said it was definitely one of the best moments in her career.
“I think that’s probably up there with one of my biggest wins so far,” she told TABradio.
“My first thoughts were there was a fair bit of speed and he’s an on speed horse, so I didn’t want to be taken on.
“At the top of the straight I wasn’t too sure if he was going to be able to run him down, but he’s a pretty tough horse and he just found a way.”
Parnham’s stable foreman Mark Sestich said he would consider taking Wrinkly across to Melbourne with the stable’s star sprinter Malibu Style.
Elsewhere on the Pinjarra card, leading jockey William Pike and owner-breeder Bob Peters enjoyed a double with four-year-old mare’s American Joy and Sally’s Realm.
American Joy handled the sharp step up in class with ease in the Coil Clean Australia Handicap (2000m) and upstaged in-form stayer The Big Show in her one length win.
In the last event of the day, Sally’s Realm relished a drop in class from Listed level to take out the GWN7 Handicap (1400m).
Trainer Stephen Miller also recorded a winning double, with Bubaroochy taking out the Programmed Property Services Handicap (1200m) for the two-year-old’s, before Fair Sonari took out the Sound Telegraph Handicap (1500m).
Tim Walker