A CAULFIELD sprinter which hadn’t raced since August and needed a scratching to make the field rode into the Midfield Group Wangoom Handicap folklore.
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Royal Island caused one of the boilovers of the day when he cruised to a two-and-a-half-length win in the $150,000 listed feature over 1200 metres yesterday.
Jockey Jason Benbow took the five-year-old from barrier two to behind the speed, set by Tougher Than Ever and Tried And Tired.
He let his mount run free with about 350 metres to go. As the field chased better ground out wide, Royal Island held his line off the fence to salute at $21.
Magnus Lad ($7.50) and Taddei Tondo ($13) broke free from the chasing pack to grab second and third respectively.
But neither threatened to reel in the victor, which won his sixth race from 17 starts. His wet-track record reads five wins from eight starts. The win was just reward for the Salanitri brothers, trainer John and racing manager Frank. Both beat cancer in 2001 and have experienced the highs and lows of racing.
Frank Salanitri said connections were excited about what Royal Island, a Dubawi-Jessie Jane gelding, could achieve.
“He’s always promised plenty. He’s been stiff his whole career, he’s had races taken off him in town. He’s still going forward this horse,” he said
“He’s still got some good improvement in him. We came here thinking he was just short of a run, so we’ve got some good races ahead of us.”
Salanitri said barrier two could have proved an issue, with earlier winners coming from the outside. But the race tactics meant the draw counted for little.
“We mentioned that (to Benbow), cut the corner, take off and put something on them so you’ve got something at the end,” he said.
“If they want to get him, they’ve got to do the hard work to pick him up ... a lot of hard work goes into this, it’s good to get these sort of results.”
Royal Island had his last start on August 16, running last of 10 in a 1600-metre handicap at Caulfield. He was also unplaced at his two starts prior.
But the preparation started with a second and two wins in June and July — all on heavy or slow tracks.
That fondness for the wet, and a promising first-up record, meant connections had no hesitation resuming in a race as tough as the Newmarket of the Bush.
“We put him away aiming him at these races. We’ve been patient with him, that’s why we stepped out here first up,” Salanitri said.
“It’s a massive race but we’ve got confidence in our horses too, that’s the main ingredient ... we know going forward he’s got some good improvement in him.”
Royal Island, which took his career earnings to more than $230,000 with the win, could have his next start at the Brisbane Racing Carnival.