Having narrowly missed out on a Melbourne Cup start by a single position, Pinhole seized the opportunity presented in the Queen Elizabeth Stakes to establish himself as a future staying talent on the Australian racing circuit.
Positioned 25th in the order of entry for last Tuesday’s 3200-metre feature, which was ultimately won by Point Of Law, Pinhole’s entry into the 24-horse field was not secured.
However, all that was set aside as the $2.60 favourite, Pinhole, surged past the leader Defiantly at the 300-metre mark and extended his lead to a decisive 2¾ lengths. The placings were filled by outsiders Manzor Blue ($41) in second and Torranzino ($26) in third.
“He’s a bright, bright stayer of the future,” stated winning trainer Chris Waller.
“He was a good winner at Caulfield two starts ago, and then last start he had no luck at all. So he’s a really promising horse, and it’s all about getting him to the I guess the Cup for next year. It’s a good step forward. He’ll be qualified and we just have to find the best path for him now.”
Both Waller and jockey James McDonald concurred that the UK import settled more effectively compared to his seventh-place finish in the Group 2 Moonee Valley Cup (2500m) a fortnight prior.
“He was really good (and) he relaxed a lot better too,” McDonald commented.
“He’s still a young progressive stayer. He probably should have been in the race on Tuesday, but there will be plenty of time.”
The Joseph O’Brien-trained Defiantly, who was also prevented from running in the Melbourne Cup, finished fourth after setting a strong pace for the majority of the race.
Jockey Dylan Browne McMonagle noted that the five-year-old gelding exhibited excessive speed from the outset and suggested he would be better suited to longer distances.
The legendary Makybe Diva claimed the Queen Elizabeth Stakes in 2002 before achieving the first of her three Melbourne Cup triumphs the subsequent year.
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