Emma Pritchard
Imported galloper Surf Dancer (IRE) gave the rest of the field a galloping lesson when the talented campaigner scored a dominant victory in the 2022 Grafton Toyota South Grafton Cup over 1610m on July 10.
The five-year-old gelding broke sharply from barrier 9 and was sent straight to the front by jockey Winona Costin who urged the Irish bred son of Lope De Vega (IRE) to the line to record a solid 1.43 length victory from their nearest rival in a time of 1:38:96.
Prepared at Randwick by the powerhouse training partnership of Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott, Surf Dancer (IRE) relished the Soft 7 track condition and lead home a trifecta for the country’s leading stables.
Chris Waller’s consistent galloper Solar Apex, ridden by Ben Looker, finished a gallant second while Lightning Jack (NZ), trained at the Gold Coast by Annabel Neasham, placed third under Brodie Loy.
It was the first win in the feature event for Waterhouse and Bott, who began training together in 2016.
They previously won the Grafton Cup in 2017 with handy stayer Supply And Demand.
While neither co-trainer was on course on July 10, stable foreman Neil Paine proudly accepted the winning trophy on their behalf from Grafton Toyota representative Rob Connell.
“Gai is overseas at the moment, but I’ve already received a text from her and she’s jumping over the moon,” he said.
“She gets very excited when she wins a country cup.
“Adrian has been on the phone as well.
“It was a great race, and it was a terrific ride by Winona.
“She rode it a treat.”
The winning connections also acknowledged the Clarence River Jockey Club (CRJC) for hosting the race and thanked Grafton Toyota for their ongoing sponsorship of the event.
As the winner of the 2022 Grafton Toyota South Grafton Cup, Surf Dancer (IRE) qualified for the $2 million The Big Dance to be run at Randwick on November 1.
Runner up Solar Apex also gained a start.
Prior to the race, CRJC Chief Executive Officer Michael Beattie said the 2022 Grafton Toyota South Grafton Cup had attracted the strongest field in 40 years with The Big Dance eligibility increasing interest in the event this year.
“The club is extremely happy, and it is always great to see the carnival receiving support from some of the best trainers in the state,” he said.