At age six, So You Think flagbearer Think it Over is at the height of his strength and power which was demonstrated to great effect at Randwick on Saturday when he blitzed a quality field in the Group II ATC Apollo Stakes (1400m).
Tuned up for his return with two good recent barrier trials in Sydney, the Kerry Parker trained gelding was ready to rumble with a weight-for-age field that featured five other Group I winners headed by Australian Horse of the Year Verry Elleegant.
Well ridden by Nash Rawiller, he had to take the field up to tearaway leaders Riodini and I Am Superman before changing gear and sailing on by to win by a commanding two and three-quarter lengths over Group I winning mare Collette.
“I was thrilled with his two trials and he’s had an uninterrupted prep coming into it, so looking at him today in the yard I was thinking he’s pretty forward and he should run really well,” said Kerry Parker.
“His goal is the same as everyone else, the Queen Elizabeth, so he’ll come back in two weeks and run in the Chipping Norton and then we’ll work it out from there.”
An unlucky fourth last year in the Queen Elizabeth behind Addeybb, Verry Elleegant and Dalasan when beaten a length and a half, it’s not hard to envision an even better result in 2022 for Think It Over.
A homebred for Richard Johnston’s Bylong Park, Think It Over started his career with John Sargent, but has blossomed with maturity and now has the overall record of 11 wins and 10 placings from 31 starts with prizemoney in excess of $4.3million.
Think It Over is the best of four winners from well bred unraced Zabeel mare Personal Service, a half-sister to Group I winners Universal Prince and Universal Queen as well as the dam of Group I ATC Coolmore Classic winner Krone.
Personal Service was one of 203 mares covered last spring by Coolmore’s So You Think, who has 30 entries for Inglis Premier and 13 for Inglis Easter.