Muchea trainer Alan Matthews is a past master campaigning stayers and it pays to take notice when he gives a likely staying type the stamp of approval.
Matthews was equally upbeat after his promising 3yo Hanselle stretched out to 1700m for the first time to win the Unite Resourcing Maiden on Wednesday. He was never on the track but climbed off the canvas in the straight for an encouraging breakthrough at Belmont.
Still in his first racing prep, the lightly-raced Gingerbread Man gelding settled in the back-half of the field from a wide gate before Brandon Louis sent him forward to sit outside the leaders Rocking In Vegas (Awesome Rock) and Rocking In Broome (Awesome Rock).
Hanselle looked beaten in the straight when Rocking In Vegas surged a length clear but Louis lifted him late to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. “He was under pressure but did a good job,” Matthews said. “He only knows how to stay and looks a nice prospect.
“He’s still maturing but is laidback and doesn’t over-race. He’s recovered from a foot issue and will step him up to 2200m.”
Hanselle (3g Gingerbread Man – Copyright Queen by Al Maher) is a homebred for leading bloodstock agent John Chalmers and races in his light blue and red colours with fellow part-owners Peter Greene, Neil Whatmore and Vince Terribile.
Chalmers raced 1992 Perth Cup winner Mirror Magic (Lord Ballina) in those colours and she was the second of six Perth Cup winners prepared by Matthews to date comprising Word Of Honour (Regimental Honour), Field Officer (Old Spice), Palatious (Semipalatinsk), Lottila Bay (Kingdom Bay) and Tumeric (Old Spice).
Hanselle (Photo / Western Racepix) is the penultimate foal from Copyright Queen and second-dam Retrace (Marscay) is a full-sister to the dam of Eremein (Timber Country) who was a Group 1 winner over 2400m in the Australian Derby at Randwick and The BMW at Rosehill.
His Yarradale Stud-based sire Gingerbread Man is better known for sprinter-milers but his black-type roll-call includes the Listed long-distance winners Ginger Baker (BRC South-West Cup) and Chilli Is Hot (Belmont Oaks).
Gingerbread Man (Shamardal) and Shooting To Win (Northern Meteor) are both standing for $5,500 (inc GST) service fees at Yarradale Stud,
