Lucky Secret has maintained his impressive record at Moonee Valley with a win in the Group 2 Carlyon Stakes (1200m) as a host of other runners including Light Fantastic and El Segundo showed promising signs in the lead up to autumn.
In what we've come to expect from Lucky Secret, the five-year-old jumped ideally and was ridden straight to the lead by jockey Danny Brereton. Light Fantastic who was first-up after his ill-fated Spring preparation jumped average from the inside gate to sit behind the leader on the rail in third.
Brereton aboard Lucky Secret managed to control the speed of the race well as the pair got away with cheap sectionals in the middle stages.
Nearing the final 600, only four lengths covered the field as they bunched up behind the Rubiton gelding.
Lucky Secret stretched his lead to one and a half lengths turning for home as it appeared only Light Fantastic could prove a threat.
Light Fantastic made up ground late but it wasn't enough to stop Lucky Secret posting his sixth win from seven starts at Moonee Valley.
“He used very little petrol to find the front and he had a fairly uncontested lead,” Lucky Secret's trainer
Tony Vasil said.
“He's a very underrated horse, he's never even had a run in the country. All of his 10 wins have either been in stakes races or city races. He won his first seven in-a-row all in the city and you don't see that happen too often.”
“He is a very easy horse to like. Horses come and horses go and you tend to become a little hard, you don't get attached to them, but he is one horse who has a lovely demeanor.”
It was an eventful first-up run for third placegetter Von Costa De Hero.
This evening's feature race was delayed by upwards of five minutes due to the David Hayes-trained three-year-old needing to be re-shod at the barriers.
The Darley-owned colt missed the start by three lengths before he stormed home along the rail to finish two-and-a-half lengths back from Lucky Secret.
Mind Your Head was unable to reproduce his efforts which resulted in his success in the Group 3 Rubiton Stakes last start and finished fourth.
El Segundo put in a pleasing run to finish fifth.
In his first start since winning the 2007 Cox Plate due to a tendon injury, El Segundo was eased back to last and stayed there until the top of the short Moonee Valley straight. The seven-year-old Pins gelding closed on the leaders noticeably in the final furlong.
Tonight's success in the Carlyon Stakes gives Lucky Secret his second Group success following his win in the Schweppes Stakes at Moonee Valley on October 25.
It is expected the
Tony Vasil-trained gelding will now look for a Group 1 victory in both the Oakleigh Plate at Caulfield and the Australia Stakes at Moonee Valley in the coming weeks.
“I've always said he is the best sprinter I've ridden,” Brereton said. “He hasn't claimed a big scalp. He hasn't beaten the best but I know he has got it in him if he gets the opportunity.”
From 15 career starts, Lucky Secret has posted 10 wins, three minors and approximately $570,000 in prize money.
