Victory went to Simon Miller and Team Aquanita in the final feature race for the Belmont season – the $100,000 Listed Birthday Stakes 1200m – with Platinum Rocker ($7.00) prevailing easily against a star studded line-up.
“$6.00 the field” just about says it all – the who’s who of WA sprinters assembled for an event that had punters divided, with no less than five horses competing for outright favoritism.
But despite the assumed equality within the race, the conclusion would prove to be a little bit more decisive.
Commencing well from barrier eleven, jockey Peter Knuckey pushed forward with the Love A Dane 6yo to sit outside early leader Modello ($14.00). Stringing out the field, the pair skipped away in the straight, with Platinum Rocker storming past the tiring leader inside the final 100m to claim its first feature victory – 1 ¾ lengths the winning margin.
Eventual race favourite Vermeer ($6.00 fav) was doing its best work late to get the bob in for second ahead of Modello.
It was the third first up win from four starts for Platinum Rocker – the mare amassing an impressive score card of seven wins and a second from its ten career starts.
Chris Blackwell