Shamus Award gelding Kyteler ($2.80) registered his first win for the stable, trouncing his rivals by five-lengths over a mile at Coleraine on Friday. The five-year-old galloper was dominant in victory, taking advantage of the fast surface to record a very quick time on top of the ground. Jockey Neil Farley was positive from the gates, rolling across from a wide draw to take up a prominent position in the run behind race leader Brechen ($3.10), who who tried to pinch a break down the back. But Farley kept that galloper in his sights, moving up to challenge at the 400-metre mark and taking over soon after, straightening for home with a clear lead. That margin would only extend in the final furlong, Kyteler attacking the line and leaving his rivals to battle it out for the minor placings. Farley was upbeat post-race. “Yeah, he was super”, he said. “He kicked away and was dominant. It was a nice, easy win”.
Henry was pleased to have this galloper break his stable duck. “Good to get a win with him, after plenty of unlucky placings”, he said. “I think a mile is right for him. He gets a bit of softer time in front, he gets there easy enough.
“We can head to a mile 0-64 now and see if we can repeat the dose with a bit less weight”.
It was a deserved victory for Kyteler, who backed up his third-placed and runner-up efforts in the past month with a third career victory from twenty starts.