Corey Brown plans smooth run on Irukandji

Friday 20 April 2018, 3:57pm

Corey Brown hopes a faster tempo will help Irukandji back up stallion Dundeel's first stakes win with a maiden Group One victory in the Champagne Stakes.

The dual Melbourne Cup-winning jockey got Irukandji home the hard way in the Group Three Schweppervescence (1400m) at Rosehill last month after the precocious juvenile effectively made two runs in the race.

Fortunately for Brown and Hawkes Racing, he was able to relax Irukandji when it mattered most and conserve enough energy for the two-year-old to finish strongly.

"He made two runs in the race and when young horses do that they normally can't overcome that," Brown said.

"They were going so slow I elected to charge forward on him and once you set them alight they generally keep running with it.

"He won himself the race even after I revved him up to get across from an awkward gate."

Co-trainer Michael Hawkes agreed Brown's ride wasn't ideal though the rider did redeem himself.

"Corey didn't panic even though he made two runs on him, he finally got to the outside and the horse really dug deep," he said.

"He got him to relax, that's what got him home."

Brown wants more speed over 1600 metres and although Irukandji faces a step up in class he is confident the colt, a $10 chance with the TAB on Friday, can challenge stablemate Outrageous, the $5 favourite.

"It'd be nice to get a soft run on him and give him a bit more of a breather in the first half of the race," Brown said.

Hawkes is confident Outrageous can justify his favouritism after a luckless third in the Group One Sires' Produce Stakes on April 7.

"It was a super run. He just got held up all the way up the straight. He got in behind Oohood got checked and couldn't get out," he said.

"He's got a soft draw, will be up on the speed and just needs a bit of luck."

Godolphin head trainer James Cummings is also looking for a luckier run from Encryption, sixth in the Sires' Produce.

"He had to use him up a fair bit from his wide barrier and he needed a week to get over that run," he said.

"The sort of work he's shown me early this week has been very strong and I think stepping up to 1600 for the first time provides him with a very interesting challenge."

The Mick Price-trained Seabrook was the $6 equal second elect on Friday alongside the Ciaron Maher-trained Not A Single Cent, a half brother to triple Group One winner Happy Clapper.

– AAP

Latest News

Prime Thoroughbreds - We have a Host of Leaders in our Team

Tuesday, 29 June 2021

Prime Thor­ough­bred’s cur­rent rac­ing team is putt­ing to­gether quite a re­cord. We have 22 hors­es that have raced in our team at pre­sent. Six­teen of th­ese are win­n­ers in­clud­ing the Stakes win­n­ing trio Ru­bisa­ki, Fituese and Xtreme­time with Miss Di­vine Em and Miss In Charge run­n­ing 4th in Stakes races. This sees a stakes win­n­er to win­n­er ra­tio of 18.75% with a stake’s per­formed to win­n­er ra­tio of 31.25%. Th­ese are ex­cep­tio­n­al fig­ures.   More »

Freedmans land maiden Group One win

Saturday, 27 February 2021

Un­der-rat­ed fil­ly For­bid­den Love has emerged as an au­tumn car­ni­val smokey with a bril­liant per­for­mance to win the Sur­round Stakes at Rand­wick.  More »

Capriccio completes Damian Lane treble

Saturday, 27 February 2021

In a big day for coun­try-trained hors­es, War­r­nam­bool fil­ly Capric­cio has tak­en out the In­glis Dash for Daniel Bow­man.  More »

More news headlines »