Darryl Bradley. Photo / Hawke's Bay Today
With 900m to run rider Michael Walker would have given you long odds on Pentane even getting among the SkyCity Auckland Cup cheques yesterday.
The fact he got within three-quarters of a length of winner Prize Lady for second left Walker shaking his head in disbelief.
"That was
an amazing run," said Walker.
"With 900m to run I was flat. He looked like a beaten horse; he was going nowhere.
"But somehow he found another gear and kicked again."
Darryl Bradley was left lamenting Luckshan's wide alley after looming like a winner halfway down the straight.
"The draw was crucial," said Bradley. "He jumped good but we had no option but to ease back.
"I had no choice but to ride patient from there. With 700m to go nothing was moving so I was first to go.
"But that took too much effort out of him and by the 200m mark he was just running on guts and determination."
Matthew Cameron said third favourite Willy Smith was never happy in the rain-affected ground.
"Normally when I click him up he travels but when I did he couldn't get a grip in the ground, he was chipping and chopping his way through it the whole way," said Cameron.
"Inside the last 100m he got to the outside on to better ground and started to really extend, but by then it was too late."
David Walsh was rapt with the run of fourth-placed Kajema after they had the entire field off the bit on the corner.
"He made a good race of it, didn't he?" said Walsh.
"With 1200m to go we quickened the speed.
"I wanted to go wider in the straight for better ground, but he hung back on the rail.
"With 600m to go I knew I had most of them stuffed, but just when I needed that little but extra he ran out of gas."
"At least you couldn't say it was a sprint home, that's often the way in these 3200m races."
Front-running Kajema fought well for fourth after trying to steal the race at the 800m when going several lengths ahead of the field.
