After missing the jump by two lengths in the $1 million Golden Gift at Rosehill Gardens on Saturday, jockey Hugh Bowman had to reset his race plans for exciting Godolphin two-year-old colt Barber ($5).
The Exceed And Excel progeny was able to run down the 14 runner field late, proving too strong for the Bjorn Baker-prepared Infatuation ($10) by a head on the line with race favourite Summer Loving ($4.80F) a further length back in third.
The race was run at a breakneck speed up front, which allowed those runners back in the field to make up ground at the finish.
Forever to be remembered for his association with champion mare Winx, Bowman had to call on all of his experience to remain calm in the saddle and get the job done.
“I wasn’t as relaxed as I was when Winx missed the start,” Bowman mused.
“The plan was taken out of my hands at that point, so I just ride him where he is and the pace was extreme from the outset.
“Mid-race you could feel I was detached from the pack, but the horse was happy. I was going to trust him to run his race late.
“He had to dig deep today and he produced, and I would suggest he is one of the top two-year-olds in the country.”
Godolphin stable representative Darren Beadman, a former champion jockey in his own right, was full of praise for horse and jockey alike.
“As soon as he jumped we went ‘Oh, plan B’. Fortunately you’ve got a jockey of Hughie’s calibre, he’s a very cool customer and doesn’t get overawed in those occasions,” Beadman said.
“He’s a very push button horse, he’s like a horse that’s had five or six starts. Worked his way through the pack and come out and hit the line with a lot of purpose and determination. He’s class with a capital C.”
After winning his first start at Randwick Barber had to display a different race pattern, a fact not lost on Beadman.
“He drew one the other day in the Kirkham and had all the favours, but today he had to overcome adversity,” Beadman said.
“The way that he let down and once he put his sights on the horse in front of him, he really knuckled down. So it’s a sign of a good horse.
Barber is now equal-favourite for the Golden Slipper with then TAB installing him at $11.