After testing the patience of his training team, Reserve Bank has delivered when it mattered most, storming home to win the Group 1 The Goodwood (1200m) at Morphettville and enhancing his value as a future stallion prospect.
Trained by Mick Price and Michael Kent Jnr, the son of Capitalist produced a brilliant finish under Jamie Melham to claim Price’s fourth win in the sprint feature, while handing Melham back-to-back wins in the race after her 2023 success aboard Benedetta.
“He’s actually got a good temperament and a good brain, but he comes to the races and Matthew Chadwick has been wrestling him for three hours,” Price said of the quirky colt.
“He had a ride and ran second earlier in the day, and I said, ‘You sure you’re up to this?’, but he never left him alone. He’s done a great job here with him.
“He’s a typical colt. He’s full of himself and he’s a lad, the big alpha male colt.”
Reserve Bank ($5.50) was ridden cold early, but Melham found a dream passage through the field in the straight, launching late to defeat outsider Sir Sway ($61) by 1-¼ lengths, with the heavily supported $2.10 betting site favourite Giga Kick a nose away in third.
“He’s a Group 1 winner now as a colt,” Price said. “A beautiful, sound, big, strong, nice colt. I was a bit concerned in the run where he was.”
“I did say to Jamie, he’s a nice flow-along sort of horse. He doesn’t like the mixed messages and don’t drag him back. I’m sure he was out the back, but thankfully they ran along, and he was allowed to use his big stride late and he took off.”
Melham, who began her riding journey in Adelaide before linking with Price as an apprentice in Victoria, was thrilled to secure her first Group 1 for her former mentor.
“She was apprenticed to me a long time ago when she came to Victoria,” Price recalled. “She actually said, ‘that bloke hindered my career’ as I don’t think I put her on enough.”
Melham admitted things didn’t go to script early in the race but was happy with how it all panned out.
“He reared at the start and nothing really went right early,” she said. “But I got a beautiful run in the end.”
“Giga Kick was on our outside, and I thought if I drag back now and get on his backside, he’s going to be too sharp, so we just rode for luck. The gaps came, and I was just a passenger.”
“It’s a very special race to win, and there’s nothing like winning a race back home in Adelaide in front of my aunties, Auntie Jan, and the family are here. It’s special, very special.”
With Reserve Bank now a Group 1-winning colt and his stud value soaring, punters can expect further betting interest in his spring targets. For the best racing odds and bookmaker promotions, head to our full betting sites list.
