Tasmanian-bred gelding Cradle Mountain, who cost just $4,000 as a yearling, opened his stakes account at Randwick on Saturday with a dominant performance in the Listed Carrington Stakes.
Given a peach of a ride by Jason Collett, the Clare Cunningham-trained 6yo bounced back from a last at Randwick at his previous starts to defeat Cellarman (Mossman) by one and a quarter lengths with Gaulois (Street Cry) a half-head back in third. (image Steve Hart)
It was not just a first stakes win for the horse, but it was also a first for his trainer.
“We always thought he had the ability to do this and he was knocking on the door a couple of times last prep,” Cunningham said.
“It was a character-building prep and last start was quite deflating.
“I thought we had him in good order but he needs to be ridden like he was today.
“I always thought he was a horse that would like 7-furlongs even as a young horse but he was just too brilliant and it’s hard to try something different when they’re winning. The good thing about his bad prep is that we got to try competing over longer and we thought he handled it but he hit a couple of wet tracks.”
Bred by Aceland Stud, Cradle Mountain was consigned by Toolooganvale Farm at the 2015 Scone Select Yearling Sale where he was knocked down for $4,000.
With his first stakes win in the bag, Cradle Mountain advances his record to 7 wins, 2 seconds and 1 third from 17 starts with earnings of 329,420.
The son of West Quest (CAN) is the only foal of the winning Jungle Pocket (JPN) mare From Japan whose dam Tokio Querida (USA) (Storm Bird) is a half-sister to the multiple Group III winner Boom Towner and Listed winner Kryptonic and Striking Profile.
Cradle Mountain becomes the 12th stakes-winner for the multiple champion Tasmanian sire West Quest, a Canadian-bred son of Gone West, who died at the age of 24 at Grenville Stud in 2015 after 18 seasons at stud.
