Dato Tan Chin Nam Wins On Stakes Day

Saturday, 15 September 2012 03:57

PrecedenceDato Tan Chin Nam won a supporting race on the card with the main race named after him at Moonee Valley today.

Dato Tan's representative Duncan Ramage enjoyed the way that his stayer Precedence fought the race out to the line.

"That will be a great tonic for his owner", he said, referring to Dato Tan who is not in the best of health.

Precedence enjoyed a drop back in class to win the Adapt Australia Handicap, his first win in nearly two years, taking his prizemoney earnings past the $1 million mark.

"He's been pitched against the best for two seasons now" Ramage observed.

Ridden by Michael Rodd, Precedence ($5.50-$6.50-$5.50) beat another non-winner, Spacecraft ($5-$6), whose last win was at this meeting two years ago. Spacecraft, ridden by apprentice Chad Schofield, hit the lead a bit too soon and was left a sitting duck for Precedence who gave his rider Michael Rodd some problems. Third was Guns At Five ($20-$17), ridden by Vlad Duric.

"This bloke's a class horse and he's come back a lot of levels to run in a race like this", Rodd said.

"My only concern before the race was going to be the pace."

"I wasn't sure where I was going to finish up but I got the perfect trail, three deep with cover."

Return to Scale"That really suits this bloke because he's a Zabeel and they're better with room."

Even though he was three wide, Precedence was able to creep forward from 12th at the 800 metre mark to be fifth on the turn.

"At the 600 we'd had such a cheap trip I just let him roll into it", Rodd said.

"He's got the stamina and the class and he had such a big weight so I got nice and close to them and he won quite comfortably."

Even though he is now a seven year old, Rodd complained that Precedence raced like a juvenile.

"He's got a few tricks this horse."

"Coming round the turn he was wanting to lay out really badly and I actually thought he was going to go to the outside fence."

"So I put the stick into my outside hand and then when I got him balanced he wanted to run back in."

According to Ramage, Precedence is likely to be aimed primarily at the Caulfield Cup this year, as he feels that he is better suited to 2400 metres, rather than the 3200 metres of the Melbourne Cup.

The Group 3 $200,000 JRA Plate over 2040 metres at Moonee Valley in two week's time is likely to be the next start for Precedence, making it the ideal lead in to the $2.5 million Group 1 BMW Caulfield Cup to be run on the 20th of October.

Photos: Quentin Lang