In racing, patience is often rewarded — something the team behind Santa Ana Moon knows all too well.
The three-year-old colt, trained by Leon and Troy Corstens in partnership with Will Larkin, secured his maiden victory on Wednesday in the Sportsbet Jockey Watch Plate (1200m) at Sandown.
After a promising debut at Cranbourne last September, where he finished third, hopes were high that Santa Ana Moon would feature throughout the spring and summer. However, a knee injury and subsequent surgery sidelined the horse for over six months.
“He was preparing very well leading into his first campaign, and we would have liked to have got some racing into him as a young horse,” Larkin said.
“These things happen, but we’ve looked after him and he’s looked after us today.
“He needed a bit of surgery to clean out a knee, but outside of that he’s come back very well, and he’s handled everything since he’s been back in work.
“It’s been a faultless preparation, so it’s good to get it off with a win.”
With Ben Allen aboard, Santa Ana Moon justified his favouritism at $2.15 with betting apps, holding off Bakersbend ($12) by half a length, while Oceanella ($14) finished narrowly in third.
Larkin admitted he would’ve preferred a more forward ride but was pleased with the way the horse found his run.
“Being a new horse, they can be a little bit timid at times and whether he was going to take that gap was a question mark,” Larkin said.
“But he went through it well, and I think there is a few more gears that he wasn’t giving us today.
“We won’t go putting too much in front of him yet. The horse is still learning his craft and there’s still a lot to come from him mentally.
“If mentally he can catch up to what he is physically, then we’ll look to step him up.”