Jean Van Overmeire’s gamble to forgo a full book of provincial rides at Newcastle for just one mount at Randwick proved inspired as Where’s The Circus delivered a major upset in the Inglis Nursery.
Van Overmeire had steered the filly, a $1250 online purchase, to a recent trial win at Kembla Grange and when he learned she was bound for Saturday’s $400,000 restricted feature, he had no hesitation in staying aboard.
“It’s always a bit tricky to do that, give up my provincial rides to come here, especially when I’ve only got one,” Van Overmeire said.
“But my thinking was, each year this race is not always that strong and the way she trialled the other day, purely on how she felt, I thought it would be worthwhile giving her a test anyway.”
Where’s The Circus is trained by Paul Murray, son of the late champion horseman Bede Murray.
Murray was at his father’s side during the glory days of stars such as Victory Vein, Half Hennessy and Universal Prince and later enjoyed stakes success himself with Predatory Pricer.
The winner’s half-sister, Can’t Find Snippy, finished third for the family in the 2016 Inglis Classic, now known as the Inglis Millennium, but Murray admitted the stable had been very light on in recent years.
“It is getting very hard,” Murray said of training.
“I only had a handful of horses. I had to get rid of the older horses and just have one crack at having a go at getting a few nice two-year-olds and it looks like it’s going to pay off.”
The Inglis Nursery (1000m) field was trimmed to nine after Billecart Blue was scratched at the gates, and Where’s The Circus ($51) pinged straight to the front, never looking back in a decisive 1-1/4 length win over Internal Affairs ($2.70 fav), with Regal Hustle ($20) a further short neck away.
Incredibly, the cheapest horse in the race at just $1250 toppled the $440,000 yearling Internal Affairs and the $1.2 million colt Vatican, who finished fifth.
Van Overmeire’s triumph was tempered by a careless riding suspension incurred in the Nursery, with his three-meeting ban to run from December 23 to December 29.
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