Photo: Kenton Wright (Race Images)
The Pam Gerard and Mike Moroney stable have been enjoying considerable success of late including with class three-year-old Pendragon (U S Navy Flag), however, it was his stablemate of the same age in Pericles (Rubick) who stole the limelight on Saturday with an eye-catching victory in the Listed SKYCITY Horizon Uncle Remus Stakes (1200m) at Ellerslie.
Fresh off a victory over 1400m at Pukekohe last month, the strapping son of Rubick was overlooked by punters who allowed him to start at odds of better than $29 as the fillies Merchant Queen (Merchant Navy) ($3.50) and Just A Floozie (I Am Invincible) ($3.20) dominated betting.
Merchant Queen sped straight to the front and led at a solid speed as Just A Floozie enjoyed a good trail, with Pericles back in sixth on the outer. Just A Floozie issued her challenge at the 300m and quickly hit the front but was immediately tackled by Pericles out wider, with rider Vinnie Colgan driving him hard to the line as he claimed victory by just over half-a-length from Just A Floozie and the fast finishing No Rain Ever.
Gerard admitted the drop back from 1400m was a slight concern for her charge, but he alleviated those fears with a solid performance.
“Dropping back to 1200m had me a little worried as this wasn’t quite the right race for him, but it fits in nicely for his next one,” Gerard said.
“He has always been a front-runner, but Vinnie was keen to take a sit and it worked out better than we thought it would.
“We’ve said for a long time that he is a very good horse, but it has just taken that little bit longer to get there.
“I’m super proud for his owners, who have put in so much and he is loved by the staff at home who have done so much work with him.”
Pericles will be set for a stakes challenge at his next start with the Gr.2 Wellington Guineas (1400m) on March 16 his immediate target.
“We will see how he pulls up but we have the Wellington Guineas in line for him, although knowing my luck it will rain as he certainly isn’t a wet tracker,” she said.
“Next year is going to be his year and we just have to stop him going to Australia now (to training partner Mike Moroney’s Flemington stable).”
Carrying the familiar Fletcher tartan colours of part-owner Hugh Flecher, Pericles was bred by Kevin Hickman and was purchased for $110,000 by Paul Moroney Bloodstock and Ballymore Stables from the Pencarrow Stud Book 1 draft at Karaka in 2021.
His dam Empyrean is a daughter of the mighty mare Ethereal who won eight races, with four at Group One level, including both the 2001 Gr.1 Melbourne Cup (3200m) and Gr.1 Caulfield Cup (2400m).
