Sword of Justice handles 1600m with ease

Sword of Justice went straight to the lead and stayed there to win the Tattersall’s Member’s Cup.

Sword of Justice has dispelled notions he’d struggle at 1600m with a runaway win in the Listed Tattersall’s Member’s Cup at Doomben.

In a unique situation, the former Victorian galloper gave trainer Ben Currie a winning double but he was barred by the Brisbane Racing Club from attending the meeting.

Currie will face two stewards inquiries next week into a total of 39 alleged offences from the past four years.

He was originally banned from training when the seven latest charges were laid and missed last week’s Eagle Farm meeting.

However he won a stay and was able to have runners at Ipswich, where he had a double on Friday, and Doomben on Saturday.

Nevertheless the BRC continued its ban on Currie attending its tracks which was imposed last week.

Currie has now trained 106 winners for the season to be the state’s leading mentor at all tracks.

He has worked hard to get Sword of Justice, who was formerly owned by Contract Racing and trained by Matthew Ellerton and Simon Zahra, scored his third win for Currie in the Cup.

Sword of Justice ($2.20) went straight to the lead and on to win by 2-1/4 lengths to First Crush ($51) with a short head to Xebec ($4.40).

Brad Stewart moved into a clear second on the metropolitan premiership with his 32nd win of the season on Sword of Justice.

“There was a question about him at 1600m but I was always going to lead and I was able to run them off their feet,” he said.

Trainer Chris Munce said First Crush would now head to the Toowoomba Cup on April 6.

Trainer Chris Waller’s Queensland manager Paul Shailer said Xebec would also step up to middle distance races with the same race an option.

Earlier, a more aggressive ride by jockey Mark Du Plessis helped Waller maintain his dominance of Brisbane staying races when Vaucluse Bay ($3.90) won the Stav, Abby and Matt Hcp (2200m).

At his last start, Vaucluse Bay had run second to stablemate Follow Suit but after sitting outside the leader it was the former’s day as he came away to win by 1-3/4 lengths to another stable mate in Estikhraaj ($12).

Waller’s Queensland manager Paul Shailer said Vaucluse Bay had given away too big a start at his previous run.

“Mark had him a lot closer than at his previous run and at the weights he was just too strong,” he said.

Waller now has 26 metropolitan winners in Brisbane this season, 16 of them in staying races.