Two-year-old debutant takes the eye as Belmont is postponed prior to Sprint
Following two encouraging trials and hot betting support, newcomer Too Darn Stormy made a winning start to his career courtesy of a brilliant William Pike ride.
From gate 11, Pike pushed his way to be prominent and wedged his way into a position one-off the fence in fifth place.
The son of Too Darn Hot, who was backed from $7 down to $2.45 on TABtouch, travelled powerfully into the home bend as Moonwalk ($5.50) mastered Queen Selyse ($126).
As Moonwalk committed for home 250m out, Pike unwound Too Darn Stormy down the outside, making his run with Playin'it Sweet ($5).
At the 150m, both Moonwalk and Pony Up ($34) dipped while Queen Selyse stumbled noticeably, further enhancing Too Darn Stormy's already tight winning claims.
Despite a gallant fighting effort from Moonwalk, Too Darn Stormy drew away to win by a half-length on his fellow debutante.
Passed in as a yearling for $400,000 at a 2024 Easter Sale, the bay has an eye-catching ownership group featuring Ciaron Maher Racing and their head of bloodstock Will Bourne.
Dan Morton turned out some capable youngsters earlier in the season and Too Darn Stormy appears yet another Ascot carnival prospect for the trainer later this year.
'It was a little bit sticky being wide early, but he slotted in nicely and the horse was good enough to get it done,' Morton said.
'I'll probably give him another go around. He's been well looked after to this point, so he's fit and ready to go around again.
'We'll get a couple of runs under his belt and then look at the end of the year.
'It goes a long way when they're schooled up good for you, which he has been.
'Hopefully he can keep building on that for us. He's a nice horse.'
Pike also credited the attitude of the gelding, saying he was a ready-made racehorse despite his inexperience.
'Initially I thought, 'this is good, I'll get across easily' but a couple kicked up quite strongly,' Pike said.
'I was umming and ahhing on what to do, whether I give him a good kick and go around.
'Luckily for me, two-year-olds are green and they're wobbly and a couple of holes appeared, and I was able to get a nice cart up behind them.
'He was actually an absolute ripper. He jumped cleanly, came back to me when the pace steadied and, most importantly, has a lovely turn of foot.
'He trialled professionally, he's racing professionally, and there's definitely some upside there.'
Upon review of the race footage, stewards were accompanied by senior jockeys and trainers to assess the portion of the track near the 150m where the three horses had stumbled.
Stewards could find no identifiable reasons for numerous horses reacting to the area, but the track was deemed unsafe for racing to continue and subsequently postponed the meeting.
There was no new date advertised for the Group 3 Belmont Sprint to be held.
+ Zaza Rock ($3.10) and Fat Roy Slim ($3f) continued their battles in the staying ranks with the scorecard now reading 2-0 in favour of the former across the last fortnight.
As Zaza Rock peeled three wide passing the 600m, Fat Roy Slim latched onto her back to give chase.
Zaza Rock reached the front rounding the turn and it was a case of déjà vu as Fat Roy Slim came off her heels but fell more than a length short.
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Following two encouraging trials and hot betting support, newcomer Too Darn Stormy made a winning start to his career courtesy of a brilliant William Pike ride. From gate 11, Pike pushed his way to be prominent and wedged his way into a position one-off the fence in fifth place. The son of Too Darn Hot, who was backed from $7 down to $2.45 on TABtouch, travelled powerfully into the home bend as Moonwalk ($5.50) mastered Queen Selyse ($126). As Moonwalk committed for home 250m out, Pike unwound Too Darn Stormy down the outside, making his run with Playin'it Sweet ($5). At the 150m, both Moonwalk and Pony Up ($34) dipped while Queen Selyse stumbled noticeably, further enhancing Too Darn Stormy's already tight winning claims. Despite a gallant fighting effort from Moonwalk, Too Darn Stormy drew away to win by a half-length on his fellow debutante. Passed in as a yearling for $400,000 at a 2024 Easter Sale, the bay has an eye-catching ownership group featuring Ciaron Maher Racing and their head of bloodstock Will Bourne. Dan Morton turned out some capable youngsters earlier in the season and Too Darn Stormy appears yet another Ascot carnival prospect for the trainer later this year. 'It was a little bit sticky being wide early, but he slotted in nicely and the horse was good enough to get it done,' Morton said. 'I'll probably give him another go around. He's been well looked after to this point, so he's fit and ready to go around again. 'We'll get a couple of runs under his belt and then look at the end of the year. 'It goes a long way when they're schooled up good for you, which he has been. 'Hopefully he can keep building on that for us. He's a nice horse.' Pike also credited the attitude of the gelding, saying he was a ready-made racehorse despite his inexperience. 'Initially I thought, 'this is good, I'll get across easily' but a couple kicked up quite strongly,' Pike said. 'I was umming and ahhing on what to do, whether I give him a good kick and go around. 'Luckily for me, two-year-olds are green and they're wobbly and a couple of holes appeared, and I was able to get a nice cart up behind them. 'He was actually an absolute ripper. He jumped cleanly, came back to me when the pace steadied and, most importantly, has a lovely turn of foot. 'He trialled professionally, he's racing professionally, and there's definitely some upside there.' Upon review of the race footage, stewards were accompanied by senior jockeys and trainers to assess the portion of the track near the 150m where the three horses had stumbled. Stewards could find no identifiable reasons for numerous horses reacting to the area, but the track was deemed unsafe for racing to continue and subsequently postponed the meeting. There was no new date advertised for the Group 3 Belmont Sprint to be held. + Zaza Rock ($3.10) and Fat Roy Slim ($3f) continued their battles in the staying ranks with the scorecard now reading 2-0 in favour of the former across the last fortnight. As Zaza Rock peeled three wide passing the 600m, Fat Roy Slim latched onto her back to give chase. Zaza Rock reached the front rounding the turn and it was a case of déjà vu as Fat Roy Slim came off her heels but fell more than a length short.
