Waterford breaks drought as punters land plunge

It might have been 544 days since Waterford last greeted the judge but it didn’t stop him landing a betting plunge under the urgings of Nash Rawiller, who rode winning treble, at Rosehill on Saturday.

As much as $15 was bet about the imported five-year-old earlier in the week before he ended up starting at $3.60. He came with a beautifully timed run to haul in $3 favourite Iknowastar in the shadows of the post.

Nash Rawiller gets Waterford home at Rosehill.

Waterford has always promised to win a good race and could look towards the Scone Cup next month, but it took a Rawiller masterpiece to have him close enough to strike from midfield.

“He was brilliant today – first up over 1500m was always going to be a little bit of stretch. He dug deep and he had too with the other horse was not stopping,” Chris Waller’s assistant trainer, Charlie Duckworth, said.

“Nash had an idea how to ride him and it was perfect.”

Waterford won by three-quarters of a length from Iknowastar, with St Lawrence ($11) closing off well for third by the same margin. It was Rawiller at his best in judging the chase to Iknowastar.

Rawiller also won on Let’srollthedice ($9.50) and Hard To Say ($10), but it was Waterford that left him most impressed.

“He felt amazing today and really travelled well in the run,” Rawiller said. “On the turn I got to the centre of the track and had a bunny to chase, and he chased very strongly.

“I just had to hold on to him to the 150 metres, and he was very good late and showed his class.”

Firm track secret for Hard To Say

Newcastle trainer Jason Deamer has found that a firm track is the secret to smart sprinter Hard To Say, and he made the most of it at Rosehill on Saturday.

Hard To Say was sent out at $10, but Deamer’s confidence levels were high due to finally getting back on a firm track, and he was proven right as his sprinter made all to win.

Hard To Say was fifth to King Of Sparta in the Snippets Sprint at the Magic Millions and runner-up to Lady Laguna in the Southern Cross Stakes at the beginning of the autumn.

Hard To Say makes every post a winner at Rosehill.

“He had a couple of runs on soft ground after that, and he is just not as good on those sorts of tracks,” Deamer said. “He likes firm tracks, and when it got to a good rating I knew he would be hard to beat.

“He is a good horse on good tracks, and we might go to the Luskin Star Stakes at Scone provided we get the right track.”

Hard To Say was eyeballed by $4.40 favourite Kazou well into the straight but fought him off and had to survive a late challenge from Manhood ($21) to win by a long neck and a half-length back to Kazou.

“It was a good tough win because he was there to get beaten at the 100m and just dug in and was too good,” jockey Nash Rawiller said.

Hyeronimus rates Ikasara up with the best

Adam Hyeronimus has ridden the cream of the Tulloch Lodge star two-year-old team and rated Ikasara alongside them after his classy debut win at Rosehill on Saturday.

Hyeronimus won the Magic Millions on Storm Boy, was Blue Diamond runner-up on subsequent Golden Slipper winner Lady Of Camelot and steered Prost to his Canonbury Stakes success for Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott, but the late-season I Am Invincible colt left him impressed.

Isakara makes a winning debut at Rosehill.

“He is among the best two-year-olds I have ridden this season,” Hyeronimus said.

“Once I got outside the leader I was very happy. He settled and at the top of the straight I thought he was the winner.

“If something had come to challenge him he would have still won.

“He is going to be a very nice sprinting three-year-old because there is a lot more to come.”

Ikasara missed the start a half-length but Hyeronimus was able to drive through and sit outside the leader. He took the lead early in the straight and held off the late challengers.

Ikasara ($5.50) scored by three-quarters of a length from the fasting-finishing Athoff ($31), with Point and Shoot ($10) a half-head back in third.

Martini Mumma keeps winning and improving

With every minute Matt Dale spent at Rosehill he got more confident about Martini Mumma in Saturday’s Highway Handicap at Rosehill.

“It was a big step up for her today and I was more confident when she went on the track than when I arrived because of the way she paraded,” Dale said. “She was even better behind the gate and then just put them away like a real racehorse.”

Martini Mumma ($4.20) took her record to three wins from four starts. She sat three pairs back and then exploded away to win by 2½ lengths from Tanglewood ($6.50), with Wilbury ($18) 1¼ lengths further back.

“She has earned a crack at the Denise’s Joy at Scone and I think there might be better races for her in the spring because she is still learning and improving,” Dale said.

Baker lands $224 double

Bjorn Baker knows how hard it is to win in Sydney, but even he was surprised with a $224 double from Highlights and Disneck at Rosehill on Saturday.

“It has been a while since we have won a race here, so it’s nice to win in Sydney again,” said Baker, who won his second Quokka with Overpass in Perth last weekend. “You take what you can get, but they have both had their day.”

Highlights got a beautiful ride from Rachel King to score at $14 before Disneck charged home from last at $16 to send punters reeling.

“We have always had an opinion of him since he was a two-year-old, and that’s what he can do on his day,” Baker said. “We have had to wait for the right race for him and found it today.”

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