They say patience is a virtue and the adage could not ring truer following the dominant breakthrough win of 9yo stayer, High Bridge at Flemington on Saturday.
On the back of tackling Listed company at his three starts this preparation, his moment in the sun came in the 2520m Handicap, courtesy of the sweetest of steers from leading jockey, Dwayne Dunn.
Jumping from the inside alley, he took a while find his stride with Dunn eventually settling him slightly worse than midfield. A pedestrian tempo throughout the early stages was somewhat alleviated when Red Alto injected some speed into the race a mile from home. In the process, High Bridge was shuffled back and found himself buried away on the inside at the rear yet continued to travel strongly under a hold throughout. Approaching the turn for home, it was plain to see that Dwayne had plenty of horse under him and should the breaks come he was going to be incredibly hard to deny.
Shortly after straightening, he successfully worked his way off the fence without losing momentum and angled off the heels of fellow Waller-trained, The Lord Mayor. He was asked to extend and that is exactly what he did. Forging clear, he found a gear his rivals didn’t possess, putting the race away in a matter of 100m.
The benefit of a previous sit aided Dunn’s confidence. “I knew what turn of foot I had. Today was a matter of keeping him smothered away until I needed him” he reported post-race. Jo Taylor (Chris Waller Racing) was equally effusive in her praise for both the ride and horse knowing the camp knew his quality and all he required was the chance to put himself into the race and the rest would take care of itself.
The win was High Bridge’s first since September 2018 and is a rewarding result for loyal OTI connections. With this sure to boost his confidence, it would be great to see him go on with it and see the winners stall again in the not too distant future!
To view a replay of the win via Racing.com, CLICK HERE.
