Patience has been rewarded for the connections of Small Fry, who secured his first win for OTI and trainer Joseph O’Brien with an impressive victory in the Sky Bet Stayers Handicap at York. He has since received the all-clear to continue his journey towards the Lexus Melbourne Cup.
Small Fry produced a career-best performance over 3256m on the opening day of the York Ebor Festival, with Dylan Browne McMonagle timing his challenge to perfection.
Having endured a luckless run when 2nd at Glorious Goodwood, the York victory was a particularly pleasing result for connections and a deserved reward for his consistency throughout the season.
McMonagle was delighted with the performance, saying:
“He’s a smashing horse. It’s a deserved win for him, he’s been running really well in the lead up to this race. We were confident today he would put his best foot forward, everything went nice and smooth in the race and he picked up well. He was a good winner. He’s a nice horse to look forward to.”
Small Fry wins the Stayers Handicap at York
O’Brien was equally impressed with the horse, describing him as a stayer on a clear upward curve. He has a good mind, possesses a sharp turn of foot for a stayer and has shown that he can perform on quick ground – all attributes that should hold him in good stead for a campaign in Melbourne in the spring.
Importantly, he has now also cleared another significant hurdle on the road to Flemington after successfully passing the Racing Victoria scanning process required for international horses.
The focus will now be on securing his place in the Melbourne Cup. Despite his York victory, Small Fry is not yet guaranteed a start in the race, meaning his preparation will be carefully planned around gaining the necessary qualification.
The Group 3 Geelong Cup currently shapes as the first option, with a win guaranteeing his place in the Melbourne Cup and potentially leaving him with a favourable weight. The Group 2 Moonee Valley Gold Cup, to be held at Flemington this year, is a secondary option and will remain on the table as the team assesses the best pathway.
The road to Flemington is officially open and this exciting stayer has given his connections plenty to look forward to.