Man Of Peace has forced his way into the field for the $70,000 Snake Gully Cup next month after a tough win at Murrumbidgee Turf Club on Friday.
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The Dave Heywood-trained four-year-old is now exempt from the ballot for Gundagai’s feature race after his victory in the prelude.
He was forced to sit three wide without cover but still had enough to surge past a quality field.
Man Of Peace ($3.60 fav) finished a neck ahead of Noble Descent ($7.50) and was ridden to victory by Nick Heywood.
Now based in Sydney, the apprentice jockey was impressed with the effort.
“It was a tough effort,” Heywood said.
“He jumped well and the plan was to go back and teach him something as all his other times when he jumps and you give him a squeeze he either goes to hard or you have to ride him very cold.
“It was a tough performance.
“I see they changed him to ear muffs and it helped relaxing him a bit and he hit the line quite strong.”
Heywood believes the lightly-raced gelding would be more than competitive in a Snake Gully Cup field.
“That is probably as good as a Snake Gully Cup field to be honest,” Heywood said.
“It was a pretty hot field.”
Equally pleased was his trainer, who is looking to now head straight into Gundagai’s biggest race on November 11.
Coming off a seventh in a Highway Handicap at Randwick last start, Heywood was impressed by the effort after things failed to go his way last week
“I am very happy,” the trainer said.
“I thought he went terrific.
“We got trapped at Randwick, and he got trapped today too, but his class came through.”
At this stage, Man Of Peace will head straight to the Gundagai feature with Heywood believing the son of Zariz races better when fresh.
It is the first time Murrumbidgee Turf Club has held the Snake Gully Cup Prelude and the Wagga trainer quickly reaped the benefits.
“He is a Class 2 horse racing against horses with six or sevens wins but I ran him with the hope of winning and getting into the Snake Gully Cup as he wouldn’t have got into it,” Heywood said.
“A $70,000 race is a nice race to be chasing.”
Heywood rode two winners on the card, enjoying success earlier in the day with Belhussey.
He is riding at Rosehill on Saturday as he searches for his first win at that level.
He has five rides on the card and believes they are all good chances.
