Despite drawing the widest gate and enduring a torrid run, never being closer than five horses off the fence and being pushed further out on the final turn, Chains Of Love found a way to snatch victory from Band Of Brothers in a thrilling finish.
This marks the second consecutive Kosciuszko triumph for trainers Paul Messara and Leah Gavranich, following their success with Clear Thinking last year.
However, Messara expressed astonishment at Chains Of Love’s ability to overcome such a significant distance disadvantage and still possess the stamina to run down Band Of Brothers in a nail-biting conclusion.
“I thought she was going to run last- I don’t know how she won,” Messara stated.
“It was a great win. We were five deep from the start and honestly I thought we had no hope.
“It was an amazing effort by our horse.”
Chains Of Love, a $5 chance, expertly bred and owned by Arrowfield Stud’s John Messara and expertly guided by jockey Zac Lloyd, displayed exceptional determination to get past Band Of Brothers ($9) by a head. So You Pence ($4.80 favourite) finished a length further back in third.
Lloyd explained that his only viable strategy was to maintain a wide racing line and keep Chains Of Love settled.
“Obviously you don’t want to be four and five wide but they weren’t going quick,” Lloyd commented.
“She is very big and I’d much rather be there than in on the fence. I was just focusing on her.
“It was a bit like a trackwork gallop because I was just trying to keep her in a rhythm.
“I just trusted that she will pick up and go through her gears. She’s a big horse and needs a bit of space to wind up but she is very tenacious.
“Full credit to Paul and Leah. To get this horse here first-up and with a tough run to be as gritty as she was the last 50m. All credit to them – I didn’t do much. It helps being on fast horses.”
With her pedigree, being by Yarraman Park’s prominent sire I Am Invincible out of the Group 1 Thousand Guineas winner Stay With Me – herself a descendant of the champion mare Miss Finland – Chains Of Love’s Kosciuszko victory significantly elevates her value as a future broodmare.
“We set her up for this race a long time ago and it is nice when a plan comes off,” Messara remarked.
“She is a trouble-free mare, straight forward to train, but we have been patient with her, she is lightly raced with a lot of upside.
“We thought if we could set her for this race, she could run well. It’s amazing with the run she had that she was able to win.”
Chains Of Love’s incredible performance in The Kosciuszko is sure to attract significant attention from racing betting markets.