KEY POINTS:
Apache Cat is the toast of Melbourne after he took the first group-race honours for the new season at Caulfield.
In easily winning the Bletchingly Stakes, Apache Cat downed Australia's most valuable horse, the $45 million Haradasun.
But while there was much joy in the Apache Cat camp, the Haradasun team were hardly downbeat.
"He's very fresh and he ran quite well," trainer Tony Vasil said. "We really needed to get that run into him as he was well above himself, but there's no disgrace to be beaten by that horse. He's a very good horse."
Apache Cat's trainer Greg Eurell said he was surprised at the ease with which his horse disposed of Haradasun, but he was confident before the race.
"He's been showing me that sort of form over the last couple of weeks and he just travelled beautifully. It was quite a soft win in the end," he said.
Jockey Michael Rodd was having his first ride on Apache Cat and wanted the mount all the time.
Rodd handled Apache Cat perfectly as he angled away from the fence when Haradasun came out wide to challenge before the turn. Apache Cat put two lengths on the field on straightening and seconds later had opened up a winning margin. He ran a sizzling 22.2 seconds for the 400m between the 600m and 200m mark, and then cruised home his final 200m in 11.51 seconds.
On the line, Apache Cat had a 2-length margin over Haradasun, with the consistent Honalee the same margin away third.
It was the first time Damien Oliver had sat aboard Haradasun liked the performance of Haradasun.
* Bookies opened betting on major features at the weekend and yesterday TAB Sportsbet o still had Haradasun as $5 favourite for the Cox Plate ahead of Marasco at $8. Betstar slashed Marasco's Cox Plate price from $10 to $6 after his dominant winning return in Perth.
Apache Cat is at $21 with Betstar and $26 with TAB Sportsbet.
- Agencies
