Racing: Fierce Flight caps the Cup with fierce fight

Fierce Flight won the Hawke's Bay Cup on the line. Photo / Race Images

Less than a neck separated the first three home in yesterday’s Hawke’s Bay Cup (2200m), with favourite Fierce Flight getting in the deciding stride to win the feature event.

The Mark Walker-trained four-year-old brought excellent form to the contest, having won two of his last five starts, and came into the race off the back of a runner-up finish behind Ess Vee Are in the St Leger (2600m).

Jockey Michael McNab settled Fierce Flight in a comfortable position in midfield before tracking the well fancied Pinion into the race at the 600m.

Colorado Star hit the front at the 250m, with Pinion and Fierce Flight chasing hard, before McNab lifted his mount in the final few strides to down Pinion by a nose with a head back to Colorado Star third.

Te Akau Racing manager Reece Trumper was quick to praise the development of Fierce Flight who won his first race in February last year and has collected his first black-type victory at his 16th start.

“He’s come a long way this season. Getting a result like this is just great for everyone,” said Trumper. “I don’t think he is the finished product yet.”

McNab was a little concerned in the run home when the horse tried to duck sideways.

“I had watched all his replays, so I carried the stick in my left hand and he was flying going straight and as soon as I switched it over he has seen that and has tried to duck in and lost stride,” McNab said. “I pulled it back through, got him going again and he has got up on the line.

“He has come from a rating 60 to a Hawke’s Bay Cup winner and been really good through those runs.”

At Riccarton, lightly raced filly Miss Layla upstaged favourite Luella Cristina to win the Airfreight Stakes (1600m) at her third start.

Miss Layla had looked good winning in maiden company at Ashburton over 1400m earlier in the month but wasn’t expected to trouble some of the more fancied fillies in her first start in stakes company, as shown by her $20-1 odds.

But when the Stephen Marsh-trained Luella Cristina loomed up to win at the 200m, Miss Layla and jockey Shankar Muniandy found again to deny her by half a length.

- NZ Racing Desk