Voodoo Lad wins G3 Monash Stakes in style
Voodoo Lad (centre) has rediscovered his best form to land the Group Three Sir John Monash Stakes.
Trainer Darren Weir and jockey Brad Rawiller both sensed that Voodoo Lad was on his game before the Group Three Sir John Monash Stakes.
And the multiple stakes -inning sprinter confirmed those suspicions with a sparkling performance to come from last to win the 1100m weight-for-age race at Caulfield.
“I loved the way he just marched into the yard,” Weir said.
“He was up and about today.”
Voodoo Lad settled at the tail of the seven-horse field before Rawiller got the dual Group One-placed gelding into clear air on the outside from the top of the straight.
The six-year-old, who firmed from $3.50 to $2.80 favourite, unleashed an impressive change of speed to rush past his rivals and beat leader Inn Keeper ($8) by 1-1/2-lengths with a long neck to three-year-old Jukebox ($3.50) third.
“Today he was awesome,” Rawiller said.
“That turn of speed he had from the top of the straight, he was explosive.
“I was so happy with him going to the barriers, just how he was in himself.
“I just thought, ‘this is perfect’. And I couldn’t see how if he was right he wouldn’t be winning this race today.
“To come out and see him do it like that was nice to see.”
Voodoo Lad had been unplaced in the Group One Goodwood in Adelaide and the Group One Stradbroke Handicap in Brisbane in his two starts this preparation.
“I don’t think he wasn’t going well his previous two starts, just things haven’t gone the way that we wanted them to,” Weir said.
“Today he got everything right. And you can see what he can do on his day.”
Voodoo Lad has now won four of his five Caulfield starts with his only defeat at the track an unlucky second in the 2016 Group One Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes.
The Symon Wilde-trained Inn Keeper’s winning run this preparation came to an end in his first stakes test but the four-year-old battled on well for second.
“He ran super. He never lets me down,” jockey Linda Meech said.
“He’s just been beaten by a good horse today.”
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