Talented sprinter Salsa Fellow ($7.50) continued his winning form over the weekend, making a victorious leap to Saturday grade at Flemington. The three-year-old son of Blue Point recorded his second win from as many starts this preparation, completing a long term hattrick that began at Kilmore back in February, before heading to the paddock for a break.
Jockey Declan Bates was happy to find a trailing position from the 1100-metre start, travelling comfortably throughout and with a lapful of horse approaching the furlong marker. Coiled up with nowhere to go, Bates found an opening to the inside of runners with 100-metres left to travel, his gelding bursting through to find the line a nose ahead of his short-priced rival Soft Love ($2.60).
“It got a little bit messy around the two-hundred; they all compacted in front of me and the runs I was expecting didn’t quite materialise”, said the in-form hoop post-race.
“I loved the way, when he saw clear air, he really quickened up well. I actually wasn’t entitled to win the way it panned out.”
So frantic was the action in the final stages, Bates didn’t have time nor room to pull the whip, urging his mount hands-and-heels as he savaged the line.
Saturday’s win franked the impressive first-up performance at Sandown seventeen days earlier, where he swamped his rivals from the rear down the middle of the track.
Salsa Fellow can return to Flemington with suitable options available in the coming weeks, most notably the Listed Creswick Stakes on July 5th.
Saturday’s win was the gelding’s fourth from eleven career starts, bumping his earnings beyond $200,000.