Fleet Gold Edition Lives Up To Hype Of Early-morning Gallop

Sun Herald

Sunday November 5, 2006

By JOHN SCHELL FLEMINGTON

TOOWOOMBA tornado Gold Edition turned heads at Flemington earlier this week with a spectacular straight track trial and yesterday was even better when making the group 1 Ascot Vale Stakes a one-horse race.

"She went enormous on Tuesday morning," Flemington trainer Mathew Ellerton, who started Nediym's Glow in the Ascot Vale, said pre-race.

Ellerton is one of the young guns training out of Flemington and is a respected track watcher.

For those who heard his next statement, the $5 on offer about Gold Edition was enticing. "It was very Takeover Targetish," Ellerton declared, referring to the Global Sprint Challenge winner which won the Lightning Stakes and Newmarket Handicap up the Flemington straight in the autumn.

Gold Edition's trainer Ron Maund was simple in his assessment of the winner of eight from 17 races and more than $1 million in prizemoney.

"She is a class act," Maund said after Gold Edition, ridden by Brisbane jockey Jim Byrne, had scored her first group 1 win.

"We aimed her at this race, set her for it all along.

"She ran her last 400m here on Tuesday morning in 21.7 seconds and to see her do that was something to behold.

"I was confident. I actually thought she'd be even-money.

"I was wrong - she should have been odds-on."

Gold Edition, which firmed in betting after punters snapped up $5.50, travelled sweetly on the speed.

When Byrne asked for the supreme effort, she put paid to rivals in a stride, romping home by four lengths. The victory was Byrne's first Flemington win.

"That was only her second run in two months. She was primed for it," Maund said.

Maund said he was keen to test Gold Edition in the Magic Millions Trophy for three-year-olds at the Gold Coast in January.

He believes the 1400m will not pose a problem for her as she is already group 1-placed over the trip.

"Hence the reason we tried to let her get just off the pace today," Maund said. "Normally she'd go out and lead and run them ragged, but we want to teach her to relax a bit. "She settled well today, though. That was pleasing."

Runner-up Splashing Out ($7), trained by Danny O'Brien, could back up at Flemington on Thursday in the 1400m race for fillies after the previously unbeaten filly was game in defeat.

"If she pulls up all right then she'd run again," O'Brien said.

Caulfield Guineas fourth placegetter, the David Hayes-trained Churchill Downs ($13), ran third, a further 13/4 lengths from Splashing Out.

Jockey Craig Williams said Churchill Downs ran well, but he couldn't help but be impressed by Gold Edition.

"She's pretty good," he said. "That was a dominant win."

© 2006 Sun Herald

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