Hurry Curry has earned essential ‘Black Type’ for her future as a broodmare following a narrow victory at Mornington, benefiting from an increase in racing distance.

The Danny O’Brien-trained mare clinched the Listed R M Ansett Classic (2400m) on Saturday, adding to her previous Stakes-level performance when she finished third in the Group 2 Adelaide Cup (3200m) at Morphettville in March.

Ridden by Lachlan Neindorf, Hurry Curry, a $14 outsider, secured a neck victory over Sunset Park ($5.50), with Beach Pad ($7.50) a further half-length away in third place.

Jack Howard, representing the O’Brien stable, highlighted the significance of the win for the Ocean Park filly.

‘She has had a really solid career without getting that ‘Black Type’ win, so it’s good to tick that box for Mark Chittick and Waikato Stud,’ Howard told Racing.com.

‘It was a really good ride by Lachie. When they went past the post the first time, I think it was Shane Jackson’s horse (Beach Pad) rolled out and he kicked up underneath which gave us the spot behind the leader and that was probably the pivotal move in the end.’

Hurry Curry was third-up into her campaign, having been spelled after her third-place finish in Adelaide. Her initial two starts this preparation were over unsuitable distances, but crucially, she was carrying a lower weight.

‘We do think she got harshly penalised for that run in the Adelaide Cup with her rating and in her first couple of runs we were a bit hamstrung with where to run her,’ Howard commented. ‘She wasn’t dropping points and was staying where she was, but the fact we could get her back to 54 kilos and up to 2400 metres, it was something we were looking for.’

The O’Brien stable had previously won the Ansett Classic with Saracen Knight in 2022, who went on to claim the Herbert Power Stakes (2400m) at Caulfield in his next start.

Howard expressed uncertainty about Hurry Curry’s immediate racing engagements but noted that the Australian Heritage Cup (2800m) at Flemington on Melbourne Cup Day could be a consideration.

‘We did win this race with Saracen Knight a few years ago and it ended up he leapfropped into another win,’ Howard said. ‘It’s great to get that ‘Black Type’ win (with this mare), so its job done there and we’ll assess what comes up next. There is the 2800-metre race on Cup Day that she may head to, but we’ll leave that up to Danny who will make the decision about her going forward.’

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