The Group 2 Ajax Stakes (1500m) closed the Coolmore Classic Day race meeting at Rosehill this afternoon with 11 horses running out the 1500 metre trip.
Burbero (centre, yellow cap) wins the Group 2 Ajax Stakes. Photo by Steve Hart.
John O’Shea’s San Diego was a bit behind after jumping while Burbero was last.
Team Hawkes’ Ninth Legion led the field followed by Aomen, Red Excitement, and San Diego who recovered well.
Rounding the home turn with 400 metres to go, Ninth Legion continued to lead but was challenged by Burbero and San Diego.
Burbero, who had done well to make his way from last to first, kicked through on the line and just got the bob on the line ahead of Ninth Legion while San Diego was half a neck away in third. The John O’Shea-trained gelding worked really well to fight on for third place after getting held up in the race.
Brodie Loy delivered the winning ride aboard Burbero, a big break for the apprentice jockey.
“It is unreal,” he said.
“He is an exceptional horse, he has a great turn-of-foot and when he is in a dogfight he will tough it out.
“His biggest problem is hitting the front a bit too early and that is probably what he did last start.
“I had a beautiful run into the race, I knew I would get a good cart to the line and he toughed it out.”
It was a top training effort from Bjorn Baker to win the 2015 Ajax Stakes with Burbero, who finished runner-up in both of her past two black-type race starts – the Listed Parramatta Cup (1900m) and Listed Canterbury Cup (2000m).
“It was a fantastic ride, [Loy] rode him absolutely perfectly,” the trainer said.
“One of the good things about Warwick Farm is that we have so many facilities and he has done a lot of swimming and he has gone around the river track, which is just like the country.
“I wouldn’t have thought that we would end up here and he has done a remarkable job this time in.
“We have figured out the right way to ride and Brodie has ridden him really well.
“Brodie is an apprentice to David Pfeiffer, but we see him every morning and he does a lot of work on some of our horses.
“You have to reward young guys and this is a big break for him.”
Punters who backed Burbero to win the Ajax Stakes enjoyed a lucrative payout with odds of $8.
2015 Ajax Stakes Race Results & Finishing Order
| Finish | No. | Horse | Trainer | Jockey | Margin | Bar. | Weight | Starting Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8 | BURBERO (NZ) | Bjorn Baker | Brodie Loy (a) | – | 7 | 56kg | $8 |
| 2 | 1 | NINTH LEGION | Michael, Wayne & John Hawkes | Tommy Berry | 0.1L | 1 | 59kg | $6.50 |
| 3 | 10 | SAN DIEGO | John O’Shea | Tim Clark | 0.3L | 2 | 53kg | $8.50 |
| 4 | 11 | SPY DECODER (NZ) | Anthony Cummings | Sam Clipperton | 0.5L | 3 | 53kg | $8.50 |
| 5 | 4 | PORNICHET (FR) | Gai Waterhouse | Blake Shinn | 1.3L | 10 | 57kg | $8 |
| 6 | 7 | MALAVIO | Steve Englebrecht | Jason Collett | 1.4L | 11 | 56.5kg | $10 |
| 7 | 6 | AOMEN (IRE) | Anthony Cummings | Christian Reith | 1.6L | 8 | 56.5kg | $17 |
| 8 | 3 | RUDY | Helen Page | Luke Tarrant (a) | 2.8L | 9 | 57.5kg | $4F |
| 9 | 9 | SLOW PACE (USA) | Kris Lees | Kerrin McEvoy | 3.6L | 4 | 56kg | $101 |
| 10 | 2 | DESTINY’S KISS | Joseph Pride | Glyn Schofield | 3.8L | 5 | 57.5kg | $26 |
| 11 | 5 | RED EXCITEMENT | Gerald Ryan | Brenton Avdulla | 10L | 6 | 57kg | $9 |
