A weekend of success for Mill Park graduates continued on Sunday with a brave victory in the Group III Hobart Cup for tough staying mare Pretty Punk, a daughter of dual Derby winner Rebel Raider.
Her trainers Leon Macdonald and Andrew Gluyas won Friday's Bow Mistress Trophy with Gogo Grace, who earned a $90,000 winner's cheque, before Pretty Punk banked $150,000 for her connections with her Hobart Cup victory.
Apprentice Ben Allen made the most of a pick-up ride that become available whenCraig Williams was suspended at Sandown last Wednesday.
Allen allowed Pretty Punk to roll forward to sit second, handy to a slow speed set by Earl Da Vinci, before midrace moves from other runners gave the mare some cover in the back straight.
Allen let Pretty Punk stride forward to join the leaders in the home turn, easing the four year-old to the outside part of the track while she defied the challengers to score by a short neck over the $3.40 favourite Andrea Mantegna.
Macdonald said Allen's ride was the difference between winning and losing.
"We brought her down here to win obviously, but when you get here races obviously get harder, and it looked a pretty even race between three or four horses I thought," Macdonald said.
"I know all jockeys ride well when they win but that was a superb ride by Benny Allen. I couldn't get over the run he gave her. If he had been beaten he had still made all the right moves."
Macdonald said he and Gluyas needed to decide whether to take Pretty Punk home for the Adelaide Cup next month or remain in Tasmania for the Launceston Cup on Wednesday week.
A homebred for Harry Perks that was raised at Mill Park as was last Friday's Bow Mistress winner Gogogo Grace, Pretty Punk has the overall record of six wins and six seconds from 24 starts with prizemoney topping $430,000.
Now a two time stakes-winner, she is the best of three winners from Reliability, who has a yearling colt by Pretty Punk's sire Rebel Raider that will be offered by Mill Park at the 2018 Magic Millions Adelaide Yearling Sale as Lot 174.
Pretty Punk was the third weekend stakes-winner raised/ sold by Mill Park joining Gogo Grace and also exciting prospect Booker, winner of the Group III MRC Kevin Hayes Stakes at Caulfield. Click here to read about them.
