Racing: Age of Fire lights up track

Age Of Fire (inner) downs Ever Loyal at Ellerslie yesterday. Photo / Trish Dunell

A protested finish didn't detract from the winning performance of Age Of Fire in the $50,000 Shaws Wires Ropes 1400 at Ellerslie yesterday, but the reason for the protest could have nevertheless changed the 1-2-3 placings.

Melbourne jockey Jake Bayliss on third-placed Belle Du Nord protested against second-placed Ever Loyal for taking his mount wide on the track in the closing 220m.

The protest was dismissed, partially because the two did not come into contact, but in running very wide Ever Loyal gave away the lead to the faster-finishing winner Age Of Fire on his inside.

It was a top run by all three placegetters. Jason Waddell partially blamed himself for Ever Loyal's narrow defeat. "He's always like that and I should possibly have taken him down the home straight in his preliminary and allowed him to canter back up past the white tents and the big white marquee positioned about the 175m."

Age Of Fire has had a secondary rating behind his stablemate Embellish who beat him home in the 2000 Guineas at Riccarton and who started at $1.80 yesterday.

The pair tailed the field and as Opie Bosson negotiated wide around the field at the 500m on Embellish, Matt Cameron stayed to the inside on the winner. Even though looking

around in the home straight, Ever Loyal still looked the winner until Age Of Fire sprinted exceptionally well.

"We've always thought a lot of this horse," said co-trainer Jamie Richards. "He drew wide in the 2000 Guineas and if he hadn't he probably would have turned the result around." Both 3-year-olds will take a huge rating by season's end, as will Belle Du Nord among the fillies.

• Earlier we saw a fabulously talented bunch of inexperienced juveniles go around in the Auckland Co-op Taxis 1100m.

Cambridge trainer Andrew Campbell is a good loser, but expletives punctuated his utterances after his first-time youngster Beastmode came from last for a close third to impressive winner Stella Noire.

It wasn't the significant difference in the stakemoney - around $25,000 - the sum could possibly have ended up close to $500,000.

"Dammit, He had to win to get into the Karaka Million," said a bitterly disappointed Campbell. "I could have trialled him, but I didn't want to send him around on a very firm track at Waipa and risk jarring him up."

Stella Noire, from Tony Pike's stable, looked good in winning, leading at the 350m and holding on bravely under Leith Innes.