A short wait was all Tony and Maddysen Sears needed to endure before their stable ace Yellow Brick secured The Archer at Rockhampton, making the delay entirely justified.
The $1 million showcase race, planned for Sunday, faced a rescheduling due to track troubles in the home straight sections – areas at 200m, 150m and 80m were heavy, unlike the good stand elsewhere.
With jockey Tommy Berry still in place for the new date, he guided the $3.40 top pick away from interference on the bend, leaving the Group 1 runner with plenty of runway in the long Rockhampton finish.
Local runner Cherry Rose hit the front strongly entering the final 300m, however class held firm as Yellow Brick powered to a length victory ahead of Anemacore ($19), Boomtown Boss ($10) just a head behind in third.
Maddysen Sears, partnered with her father in the stable, shared that the win carried deep emotion for the family featuring their banner carrier, who boosted earnings above $3.7 million with his tenth success.
“It’s just really special,” Sears said.
“My grandma’s here to watch, all my family come out to do it.
“We brought the right horse up and someone told me a couple of days before, a very good trainer in Melbourne said he’s going to win for fun and he did.
“He’s the pivotal horse for my career. Anyone that knows me, knows my family, this horse is this horse is so special.”
Berry expressed ongoing assurance in the mount, crediting a leading rider for the opportunity aboard Yellow Brick up north.
“They just wanted me to make sure I got room,” Berry said of the instructions.
“He’s a big horse and he takes a little bit of winding up, but it was a good effort today. Because he was first up and he was a little bit keen in the run and being on the fresh side.
“Great effort by the team to get him ready, to get him ready twice too for today. It was worth coming back for, for the second time.
“He’s definitely got a good carnival ahead. They’ve got some nice races mapped out for him. Thanks to James McDonald, he’s the one who got me up here, so I’ll try and keep it, and you can ride something else from now on, that’d be nice.”
Visit betting sites to find racing odds for The Archer.