There were emotional scenes in the Timaru birdcage following the running of the Timaru Cup (1600m) yesterday as the connections of Who Dares Wins waited for their pride and joy to return to the winner's enclosure.
The rugged Iffraaj gelding gave weight and a beating to his rivals off theback of a lengthy spell following a dismal display when finishing last in the Group 3 Winter Cup (1600m) in early August.
While many may have been surprised that the seven-year-old would be at his best on top of the ground, carrying 60kg and having had just a pair of trials to fit him for his mission, those who kept their faith in the Tony and Lyn Prendergast-trained runner were well rewarded, courtesy of a gem of a ride from Samantha Wynne.
On a track that was playing in favour of runners handy to the pace, Wynne bounced Who Dares Wins out of his inside barrier draw to dispute the early lead before settling in the trail behind favourite Ticket To Ride.
Wynne had her charge travelling peaches and cream approaching the home bend but with nowhere to go as he was jammed in a pocket behind outsider Lady Style who took over with 200m to run.
Wynne hauled Who Dares Wins across heels to find clear air and he charged home to snatch victory from Lady Style and Monza Circuito who dead-heated for second.
Co-trainer Tony Prendergast was delighted with the win having worked hard to get the weight off as he prepared for his first-up target.
"We were pretty happy with him although our biggest concern was that he had got away on us a bit weight-wise," Prendergast said.
