Tom Charlton expressed immense relief after King Pedro’s commanding performance in the Stayers Cup at Rosehill, which saw the gelding finally atone for a string of unlucky runs.
Since his last win at Gosford in November, the lightly raced gelding had been a consistent runner-up, finishing second in four of his five subsequent starts. Charlton admitted he felt the pressure heading into Saturday’s race, with the horse being the even-money favourite according to leading Aussie betting sites.
“I’m a bit nervous because I feel like the horse has been quite unfortunate for a lot of this preparation,” Charlton revealed. “I’m relieved for the owners and staff and horse that he has managed to get the job done.”
He added, “He’s a really nice stayer. He will definitely make a better grade, and a good grade, in time. He is effective on all ground, effective at 2000 to 2400 (metres), and he could be effective over even further in time.”
King Pedro, a four-year-old, is by Eminent, a New Zealand-based stallion by Frankel who is not widely recognised in Australia. The stable had identified him as a promising stayer after he finished sixth from a wide draw in the 2025 New Zealand Derby (2400m), and Charlton was hopeful he could progress back to stronger races.
The immediate plan is likely the Grafton Cup (2350m) next month, with future targets including races such as The Metropolitan (2400m).
“Those are the sort of races, maybe a Sydney Cup some day,” Charlton mused. “Whether it comes too soon, but we do feel he could make it into a race like that. He is still quite an unfurnished horse so there is plenty more to come.”
Charlton also noted the decision-making process for the gelding’s next start: “We toyed with the idea of going to Caloundra (Cup) next weekend, but we thought the option of an easier race to try to win, and then potentially go to something nicer was probably more suitable.”
Ridden by Kerrin McEvoy, the $2 favourite King Pedro secured a comfortable three-length victory over Pinhole ($6), with the outsider Masoun ($101) finishing a short neck behind in third.
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