Photo credit: Bruno Cannatelli
Five-year-old gelding Aegon (Sacred Falls – Toss Up) capped a stellar day for Andrew Forsman with a dogged victory in the Gr.3 Moonga Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield.
The Cambridge conditioner saddled three runners at Caulfield on Saturday, and all three saluted, with Aegon’s victory following earlier wins by Mr Maestro in the Gr.3 Caulfield Classic (2000m) and Saint Bathans in the Lamaro's Hotel Grand Handicap (1700m).
Forsman also notched his first Group One victory in a solo training capacity when Mustang Valley won the Gr.1 Livamol Classic (2040m) at Hastings on Saturday, having trained the winners of 25 Group One races in partnership with Murray Baker, who retired in April this year.
Out of the winner’s circle since his stunning victory in the Gr.2 Hobartville Stakes (1400m) in February of last year, jockey Blake Shinn was forced to take an inside run on Aegon and the son of Sacred Falls dug in to defeat Bandersnatch by a nose.
“It got a little bit niggly and he didn’t get the right run. I am sure Blake would have liked to have got to the outside,” Forsman said.
“He had to chop and change ground and get down to the inferior ground on the inside and he was just good enough and I think he deserved it today.
“He has just been a very immature horse. Whatever he did as a three-year-old was all on ability and we just had to give him a little bit of time and now he has come back to it and hopefully he can go on.”
Forsman hasn’t made any plans ahead with the gelding he part owns in conjunction with the Zame family.
“I am just rapt to get this one out of the way and see him back to his best form,” Forsman said.
“We brought him over here just because of lack of options at home and it is hard for a smallish horse to carry big weights.
“The set weights and penalties of the race today suited and mentally he seems a happy horse that is in the zone.”
The winner of six of his 14 starts, Aegon was one of the leading three-year-olds of his year when landing the Gr.1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m) and Karaka Million 3YO Classic (1600m).
Purchased by Forsman for $150,000 out of the Waikato Stud draft at the 2019 NZB Karaka Yearling Sale, Aegon is the best of five winners out of the winning Zabeel mare Toss Up, who is also the dam of stakes-placed Even Chance.
Aegon advanced his career earnings to in excess of A$1.2 million and continued the outstanding run of form for the Forsman stable.
“Sometimes you have to stop and pinch yourself as to how well it is all going,” Forsman said.
“As we know in this game it can be a long time between drinks and you can have your dry spells and no matter what you do or how hard you try things don’t work out.
“Thankfully things are going well at present and I am very thankful to have the good staff I have got around me. I can be over here in Melbourne knowing that the job is being done right at home and I can be backwards and forwards.
“I am very thankful to everyone that has helped me get going.”
The 39-year-old is positive about the New Zealand industry as a nurturing ground for Australian raids and has no intentions of being permanently based in Australia.
“I would like to stay based in New Zealand. It is great to have Australia so accessible, it props us up for sure as an industry in New Zealand,” Forsman said.
“New Zealand racing is very competitive and I don’t think people understand how good the horse people are and how good our horses are. Sometimes you just have to back yourself and think that if you have got a horse good enough you can come over here and compete.
“It is not too hard to get here and be based here and hopefully it is something we can do more of in the future.”
– NZ Racing Desk
