Tough gelding Cepheus has outclassed his rivals to win the Rowley Mile at Hawkesbury.
Nash Rawiller has labelled Cepheus a “warhorse” following the eight-year-old’s fourth stakes success in the Listed Rowley Mile at Hawkesbury, the win pushing the gelding’s prizemoney to just shy of $2.5 million.
Horse and jockey have developed a tremendous rapport over the past two seasons, combining for victories in last year’s Ajax, Shannon and Alan Brown Stakes, and taking out the South Grafton Cup two starts ago.
Lumping topweight of 60kg on Thursday, Cepheus ($7) made the early running before handing up to Yankee Hussel near the 1000m when she wanted to over-race, then surging again in the straight to pull clear of his rivals.
He had three-quarters of a length to spare over Lion’s Roar ($8), who was doing his best work late, with $2.40 favourite Williamsburg third after laying in for much of the straight.
“He’s been a great old horse,” Rawiller told Sky Thoroughbred Central.
“He has been through a rocky path there a few times in his career, just through injuries and things, but he’s a real iron horse, a real warhorse.”
If Cepheus has an Achilles heel, it is wet tracks, but with Hawkesbury rated a good 4, the gelding made the most of his favoured conditions.
Rawiller said he was supremely confident about his chances after walking the course earlier in the day.
“He went to Grafton for that South Grafton Cup and we were slightly worried about the track,” he said.
“But when we got there and walked it, my confidence grew, and I’ve never been more confident after walking the track today.”
The horse’s longevity is a credit to trainer Matt Dunn, who has nursed him back from a serious tendon injury suffered early in his career.
The Murwillumbah horseman confirmed Cepheus would follow a similar path to last spring when he won a brace of feature races and finished runner-up in the Big Dance (1600m), the $3 million race again his goal.
“He’ll go through the Alan Brown again and we’ll poke our way through as we did last year,” Dunn said.
“We will probably duplicate the same campaign and hopefully he can pick up some more money like he did last year.”
Cepheus is currently on the fourth line of pre-nomination markets for the Big Dance at $15 with betting sites.
