The progressive three-year-old completed a hat-trick of victories for Pukekohe horseman Richard Collett with a sublime performance in the hands of his daughter Alysha to win Saturday's Listed Trevor Eagle Memorial.
"He's doing all the talking – he's a very good horse," Collett said. "It was a
very good effort here to beat the older horses on Melbourne Cup day and on form
I thought he was streets ahead of these."Top Prospect, who won his maiden at Ruakaka last month, is raced by long-time stable client Arthur Avis and the Swiss Ace gelding has the Gr.1 Vodafone New Zealand Derby as his season's goal.
"We really focussed in teaching him to settle and to relax so he can get the 2400 metres later on." Collett said.
Top Prospect settled off a good pace set up by Showpin before he was sent around runners near the turn.
"She rode him like the best horse in the race and set him alight a way from home and if he was as good as we thought then he'd win," said Collett, who has yet to confirm the path that Top Prospect will take toward the Derby.
"We'll see how he comes through this race first – he's quite a lean athletic type," Collett said.
The chestnut's impressive finishing burst earned him a three-quarter of a length margin on Barcelo, who enjoyed an economical run near the pace on the fence, at the post with Creative Genius coming home strongly from the back for third.
"With every start he is improving and the further he goes the better he'll be," Alysha Collett said. – NZ Racing Desk.
