Final Return hangs on in a blanket finish to the Counties Cup on Saturday. Photo / Kenton Wright
Comeback jockey Elen Nicholas took her career to its greatest heights yet with a masterful ride aboard Final Return to take out the MyRacehorse Counties Cup at Pukekohe on Saturday.
A horror run of injuries has forced Nicholas to spend more time on the sidelines than in the saddle during her apprenticeship, but she has made a triumphant return this season to sit eighth on the national premiership with 21 wins. She ranks second among apprentices behind only Amber Riddell with 25.
The past seven days have seen Nicholas make the most significant big-race impacts of her career so far. She guided Notabadspillane into second in the Group 3 New Zealand Cup (3200m) with a ground-saving ride at Riccarton last Saturday, then went one better at Pukekohe a week later with an outstanding mid-race move in the Counties Cup.
Nicholas and trainer Janelle Millar intended for Final Return to go forward in the $170,000 feature, but that plan appeared to go out the window when the gelding got squeezed out the back soon after leaving the starting gates and was a clear last going past the finish line with a lap to go.
But the speed dropped out of the race down the back of the track and Nicholas seized the initiative. She allowed Final Return to surge around the outside of the field, moving up alongside the front-running Khan Hunter by the 1000m mark.
Final Return had Khan Hunter covered soon after rounding the home turn, but he found himself under siege as Rosetown Princess loomed on the inside while Blue Sky At Night, Sharp ‘N’ Smart, Gigi, Sassy Lass, Aftermath and What You Wish For ran on out wide.
But just when it looked like he might be swallowed up in the final 150m, Final Return lifted again and held them all out to win by a neck. Rosetown Princess was second, with two noses back to Aftermath and Sharp ‘N’ Smart. In a blanket finish, less than a length covered the next four finishers – Gigi, What You Wish For, Blue Sky At Night and Sassy Lass.
The Counties Cup was Nicholas’ first win in a Group or Listed race.
“This is definitely at the top of the list of my biggest wins,” the 29-year-old said. “I feel so lucky and I’m just grateful to be out here and doing this.
“The original plan was to jump and be handy, but we got a bit of a squeeze out the back. He was happy enough there early on, but I thought the pace might go out of the race down the back, which often seems to happen in these staying races. We managed to go around them without him having to do too much work and then we were able to take a bit of a breather after we got to the front as well, which was good.
“He got headed early in the straight and I thought, ‘Oh well, maybe we’ll run a nice placing if he can carry on’. But he suddenly grew another leg. I couldn’t believe it.”
Final Return is by Westbury Stud stallion Reliable Man out of the Zabeel mare Kind Return, who won four races and finished second behind Bazelle in the Group 1 Zabeel Classic (2000m) and behind Zarius in the Group 2 City Of Auckland Cup (2400m).
From 25 starts, Final Return has now had three wins, eight placings and $281,565 in stakes. He made his mark in top-flight staying contests last season with a second in the New Zealand St Leger (2500m), third in the Group 3 Avondale Cup (2400m), fourth in the Group 3 Queen Elizabeth II Cup (2400m), fourth in the Listed Hawke’s Bay Cup (2200m) and sixth in the Group 2 Auckland Cup (3200m).
“I’m speechless and very proud,” Millar said on Saturday. “This is something we’ve aimed for. We keep bringing the horse up north, because he likes going this way around. He tends to hit himself a little bit when he runs the Wellington way around, but he just goes so well up here and he’s a great traveller.
“Elen gave him a perfect ride. I told her not to panic if she wasn’t able to go forward early, because he has a high cruising speed and can make up ground in the back straight.
“That’s exactly what she did. He has a turn of foot, but he’s better when he can race out in front.
“We’ll probably aim for the Queen Elizabeth on New Year’s Day now.”
– LOVERACING.NZ News Desk