Disneck headlines Standish Day of breakthrough wins

Hattrick for Flying Done

Matthew Williams will assess his options with progressive three-year-old Flying Done, who notched his third win in a row in the Tab We're On (1600m).

The son of Kermadec has gone from a Warrnambool maiden to a midweek benchmark 70 and now to Saturday company, leading throughout to score by 1-3/4 lengths.

Sent out a $5.50 chance, Dean Yendall got an easy lead and held off the challenges of Our Chief ($2.80) and favourite Jenni Gone Bonkers ($2.05), with Williams to see how the gelding pulls up before thinking of any stakes class targets. 

"He's a good, big, strong horse but he's just mentally not quite there yet," Williams said.

"He's working it out and getting a few cheques in the bank while he's going.

"In my mind, coming down today, I thought that he might have a little break after today. He's done a pretty good job, but we'll just see how he pulls up. 

"See where his rating is and sort of plan out next attack. But I sort of had Warrnambool May carnival in the back of my mind, but he might be upgraded from there now."

Jenni The Ninja executes plan

Whether black type races come this preparation or beyond, Gavin Bedggood has a talented filly on his hands with Jenni The Ninja, who accounted for Group-performed horses when taking the Jockey Celebration Sprint Handicap (1100m).

Sent out a $5.50 chance under Beau Mertens, Jenni The Ninja was cluttered up between runners down the straight but followed $3.90 favourite and leader Military Tycoon, showing a sharp turn of speed to prevail by a length, with $6 chance Conscience a further 1-1/4 lengths back in third.

Bedggood said her preparation had already been fragmented since a maiden win at Pakenham on November 28th. 

"I was keen to run her in a three-year-old benchmark 64 at Cranbourne a fortnight after Pakenham and Tony (Ottobre, owner) said we'd put her out," Bedggood said.

"She had a fortnight at the paddock and he rang me up and said we're going to send her back.

"Today was a bit of a step into the unknown, coming from a maiden win, and there were a couple of well-credentialed horses there.

"But we were going to find out where she sits amongst the ranks and, I suppose, she was going to sink or swim, and she's definitely swam."

Gallant Son embodies name with tough win

Apprentice Emily Pozman notched up her first winner at Flemington and needed every bit of her 3-kilogram claim to ensure talented colt Gallant Son resumed a winner.

Assigned 64kg in the Jockey Assistance Program Sprint (1000m) at benchmark 70 level, Gallant Son was certainly the class runner of the field having run second to the likes of Alabama Lass and Reserve Bank in the Autumn of 2025. 

One of the first off the bridle after leading up the field, $3.20 favourite Gallant Son pulled out plenty to deny $9.50 chance Along The River by a neck, with a short neck back to Castellar ($20) in third.

An extended break and big weight worried Katherine Coleman, who trains in partnership with Peter Moody, but said the plan to help their stable apprentice get her first Flemington winner ultimately came off.

"I was a little bit concerned there," Coleman said.

"I thought that maybe we were off the bridle a long way from home and we still had quite a lot of work to do, but he really dug deep and it was pleasing to see.

"Em is our stable apprentice and for her to have her first winner here at Flemington on a horse that she does a lot of work on at home - he's probably her favourite horse in the stable, she just adores him."

Pozman notched her 69th career winner and echoed Coleman's thoughts, praising the colt's laidback attitude.

"I'm just really pleased that I got to do it for Kat and Moods and on a horse like Gallant Son, who I do a lot of work with at home and he's just the best for a colt," Pozman said.

"I thought I might have gone a little early from home and I got a bit stressed, but he just kept finding for me."

Disneck too slick in Standish

 Outside barriers proved the key in the Group 3 Standish Handicap (1200m) at Flemington as talented sprinter Disneck managed his first win at black type level.

In a field of 12, barriers 11 and 12 provided the exacta, with the resuming Disneck leading home a rough result for punters.

Sent out an $11 chance and ridden by Daniel Stackhouse, Disneck settled back but came widest, surging clear at the 200m mark to score by 1-3/4 lengths ahead of Extratwo ($41) who had a similar run with Contemporary ($101) a further long head away in third.

A seemingly poor trial at Hawkesbury leading into this campaign, when beaten 6-3/4 lengths despite being under the whip had perhaps deterred punters, but Stackhouse was happy to back the stable in on the day. 

"I spoke to the stable representative this morning and he said, 'just ride him cold, give him his chance and just be patient," Stackhouse said.

"He's got a great turn of foot. I wasn't too concerned about his first up trial.

"I thought he's really good when he's fresh, he's ran really well down the straight and I thought back on top of the ground, we mapped right, being out wide, trained by Bjorn Baker. 

"A lot of ticks there, so I was very confident going forward."