12 Jan 2023Michael Dee’s decision to make an early move aboard That’s Incranibull was instrumental in the son of Cape Blanco winning for the second time on Australian soil with a stout staying performance on the Lakeside track at Sandown.
The expatriate Kiwi jockey was at the tail of the field and a lack of tempo in the 2100 metre contest encouraged him to let the Cambridge Stud graduate slide around the field.
“When we turned into the back straight they were going quite slowly and they got to the 1300 metre mark and backed it off again,” Dee said.
“I thought what’s the point of staying back here if they quicken off the final bend and then I’ve got no chance.”
The Patrick Payne-prepared That’s Incranibull was in front before the turn and he proved far too good in the run home for his Benchmark 64 rivals.
“I decided to go and it was a pretty good effort to sustain such a long run. He had the blinkers back on and they seemed to sharpen him up and he was strong through the line,” Dee said.
“You have to trust the Patrick Payne polish, I knew it was a hot day but he was in a muck lather before I got on him and he was pretty hot behind the barrier so it was a very good effort.”
That’s Incranibull was a $17,000 Karaka purchase for Taranaki trainer Allan Sharrock, who remains in the ownership group, and Emma Davies prepared the gelding to win four races before he relocated to Payne’s Victorian stable following an unplaced run in last year’s G3 Wellington Cup.
The seven-year-old, who won his first race from his new quarters at Donald in the spring, is an older half-brother to our G2 Royal Stakes and G3 Eulogy Stakes-winning Highly Recommended filly Polygon.
They are out of the Encosta De Lago mare Polyantha and she is a half-sister to the G2 Moonee Valley Oaks winner Pure Harmony and the family of the G3 Frances Tressady Stakes winner and G1 Queen of the Turf runner-up Annavisto.
We sold a U S Navy Flag filly out of Polyantha for $90,000 to Proven Thoroughbreds and Joseph Pride at Karaka last year and the mare produced a daughter by Hello Youmzain in 2022 before visiting Sword Of State.