Equissential pictured a week earlier at Eagle Farm
Neville Saunders’ instructions to apprentice Alisha Taylor were to ride Equissential forward in the seventh at Doomben yesterday – an open handicap over 1600 metres. But Equissential found the early tempo too hot and instead settled at the other end of the field. Front runners Cuddlesome and Epic Terra set a cracking pace and seemed to have the race to themselves but Alisha and Equissential who seemed to be in a hopeless position at the turn had other ideas. Alisha plotted a course wider out and Equissential ate up the ground. The photo showed that Equissential had edged out the two front runners.
“That was a terrific win,” said Neville Saunders after the race. “It didn’t go to plan, in fact at one stage I’d almost given up (on his chance of winning)”.
It was Equissential’s seventh career win and took his earnings to $326,000. Equissential’s half-brother Express Ball also raced in the orange and green.
