Photo: Steve Hart
The Mick Price and Michael Kent Jnr-trained Hezashocka relished the heavy track at Newcastle to break a 22-month hiatus from the winner's stall in the Listed Gosford Gold Cup (2200m).
Stable representative Ben Elam said he was delighted to see rain lashing Newcastle, knowing it would play to the strength of the six-year-old son of Shocking.
"He's a horse that, the more rain the better, so when we were sitting in the pub last night having a beer and talking about the races and the Newcastle trots got abandoned, we were pretty confident that we were going to get the track that we wanted," Elam said.
"We did a few things with him since his last start and kept him nice and fresh.
"I told (jockey) Chad (Schofield) to wake him up in the barriers and see if he'd jump and he gave us something today to work with.
"He was able to settle midfield rather than be right out the back where the race is over before it's started."
Schofield gave Hezashocka the run of the race off the speed and with cover, although his good work almost came undone when a couple of the horses ahead of him began to weaken quickly before the home turn.
Schofield was able to manoeuvre Hezashocka ($4) into the clear and set out after Rachel King aboard Sir Lucan ($21), who had skipped away to a good lead halfway up the straight.
"I thought maybe Rachel King, she was off and gone, but when I got him into the clear he really quickened nicely with 54 (kilos) on his back," Schofield said.
"He's a noted mudlark and it was a good win."
Hezashocka scored by three-quarters of a length with Double Cherry ($26) best of the rest, almost six lengths away.
Fellow Kiwi import Goldman started a $2.60 favourite and led as expected, but he had no answer when challenged and finished almost seven lengths astern of the winner.
Elam says Hezashocka will now head north for the Brisbane Winter Carnival where he holds a nomination for the Gr.1 Doomben Cup (2000m) in a fortnight.
Hezashocka began his career with Shaun and Emma Clotworthy and won the Gr.2 Championship Stakes (2100m) at Ellerslie before OTI Racing bought into the horse through bloodstock agent Phill Cataldo.
Originally purchased at Karaka for $18,000 out of the draft of Grangewilliam Stud, Hezashocka has now won four of his 30 starts with a further eight placings and A$1,248,203 in prizemoney. – NZ Racing Desk
