“I was pretty happy with her during the week. I rode her in all her trackwork, and I really felt we were getting her personality back. So this is hugely satisfying and we couldn’t be happier.”
There has never been any doubt about La Crique’s quality. She burst on the scene as a 3-year-old with five wins from eight starts, including the Group 2 Avondale Guineas (2100m) and Group 3 Desert Gold Stakes (1600m).
She placed in all of her other three, headed by an unlucky second in the Group 1 New Zealand Derby (2400m) behind another of this summer’s comeback horses, Asterix.
La Crique became a Group 1 winner with a dazzling Arrowfield Plate (1600m) performance at Matamata in the spring of her 4-year-old season but had gone winless in seven starts through the 16 months since.
“She just had one of those annoying blowouts that happened as soon as she came into the stable at the beginning of her last preparation,” Alexander said. “Unfortunately it blew out of the coronet, and the hole that came out split horizontally around the coronet.
“So every time the hoof grew down, the gap got wider. She obviously had a lot of discomfort in her movement and it was really bothering her.
“It’s been frustrating, and mostly for the horse. She’s put up with a lot. She’s very tough and she’s tried to battle her way through it. Even here last year, it was bothering her and she hung in slightly in the straight. I just hate doing that to a horse. She’s been brave, she’s got here,
and she’s just matured so much as well. We’re absolutely thrilled.
“It’s so good for Matt [Cameron] as well. This was his first sit on the horse and he produced a beautiful ride.”
Cameron settled La Crique in fifth along the inside, keeping a close watch on the $2.30 favourite Desert Lightning, who was in an early speed duel before easing back to take a trail behind Belclare.
The field moved away from the rail in search of better ground coming towards the home turn, and Cameron cut the corner and went for gold. She scythed through and burst to the lead at the top of the straight, kicking hard and taking command.
Aegon chased hard and ate into the margin late in the piece, with Desert Lightning sticking on bravely in third, but La Crique triumphed by a length-and-a-quarter.
“I’d never sat on her before but she makes my job easy,” Cameron said. “My job was to follow the favourite, and she just tracked along beautifully. She’s so athletic, a little machine. She felt super.
“She was lovely and quiet and stepped out of the gates well. There was a bit of hustle-bustle in front, and I was fine just doing my thing behind her. She was great.
“Jockeys always have a hard choice, either coming here for this race where there isn’t as much on the undercard or going to Matamata, where there’s a lot of good races. I was happy to pick up the ride on this mare and it was definitely worth the trip.”
