Promising colt Hidden Achievement could be Queensland-bound for the Brisbane winter carnival after scoring an impressive breakthrough win at Gosford on Saturday.
A $675,000 yearling purchase, Hidden Achievement ($5) lived up to his price tag in the Ortus Financial 2YO Handicap (1200m), displaying both power and poise to burst through at the top of the straight and win by three-quarters of a length. The Chris Waller-trained youngster improved on his runner-up debut at Canterbury and now looks destined for bigger targets.
Stablemate Sarapo ($8) showed promise on debut with a fast-finishing second, while race favourite Chicama ($3.70) weakened to third after leading early.
Waller’s representative Zane Jones was full of praise for Hidden Achievement, noting the colt’s rapid development in recent weeks.
“Lovely colt. He has just improved out of sight from his trials to his debut performance,” Jones said.
“Hidden Achievement put the writing on the wall the other day. We will let the dust settle, see how he comes through it and decide on Queensland then.”
Jockey Adam Hyeronimus, who doesn’t ride regularly for the Waller team, made the most of the opportunity as other riders were already in Queensland for the carnival’s early stages.
“Nice to ride a very nice horse, a very nice two-year-old colt for Chris,” Hyeronimus said.
“Six furlongs probably isn’t his distance but he was just too good for them and he is only on the way up.”
Both Hidden Achievement and Sarapo now hold entries for two major Group races during the Brisbane winter: the BRC Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m) at Eagle Farm on May 31, and the J J Atkins (1600m) on June 14.
Meanwhile, well-supported pre-race favourite Sequista was a late scratching after sustaining float injuries en route to the course, disappointing punters who had backed her with confidence.
With Hidden Achievement and Sarapo likely to step up to Group company soon, punters can stay ahead of the market and access top odds and promotions by visiting our trusted betting sites list.