A punt taken on Cours Vite has paid off with the lightly raced three-year-old opening his Australian account at short notice.
The son of Almanzor broke his maiden at his second appearance in Queensland, following up a debut fourth at Ipswich with a return visit there on Saturday resulting in a dominant display to score over 1666m in the hands of Jake Bayliss.
He is trained by Lance O’Sullivan and Andrew Scott and accompanied stakes winners Dragon Leap and Waitak to Brisbane while the stable’s Gr.1 Tarzino Trophy (1400m) winner Dark Destroyer joined them on Tuesday.
Cours Vite made five appearances in New Zealand and headed offshore off the back of a runner-up finish at Tauranga early last month.
“It was a good result and it was a bit of a gamble taking him over,” Lance O’Sullivan said.
“It’s coming to the end of the good tracks here and we thought he was going well, especially after his last run before he left.
“His first-up effort over there was a pass and in saying that he improved a lot with it. He put it together really well last weekend.”
They have no lofty ambitions with Cours Vite and a three-year-old 2180m event at Ipswich on Wednesday is in the mix for his next outing.
“There’s also an 1800m race three days later so he will run in one or the other, but we don’t have any grandiose plans with him at this stage,” O’Sullivan said.
“He really lacks ringcraft, but he’s got his expenses now and anything else is pretty much a bonus now.”
Dragon Leap tailed the field home when resuming in the Gr.2 Victory Stakes (1200m) at Eagle Farm and will be back in action in the Gr.3 BRC Sprint (1350m) at Doomben on Saturday week.
“He got run off his feet the other day and probably needed to come back to last and then give him a chance to get on the bridle,” O’Sullivan said.
“He was third or fourth to last and always chasing, he needed to go back another three lengths.”
Proisir’s son Waitak has finished midfield in the Listed Daybreak Lover (1400m) and the Gr.2 Queensland Guineas (1600m) in his two Queensland appearances and will progress to a middle- distance assignment this Saturday.
“Waitak will run in the Rough Habit Plate (Gr.3, 2200m) and you’d think the step up in trip will suit him,” O’Sullivan said.
He will bid to defend the stable’s Rough Habit title after Dark Destroyer was successful 12 months ago and he subsequently finished fourth in the Gr.1 Queensland Derby (2400m).
Dark Destroyer hasn’t raced since he won the Tarzino Trophy and had a recent trial at Te Awamutu before flying out and will also probably run in the BRC Sprint.
- Article by NZ Racing Desk
