Lachlan Neindorf produced the ride of his life aboard Climbing Star to claim an emotional home town win in the $1m Robert Sangster Stakes at Morphettville on Saturday.
Neindorf, 22, was forced to save ground along the inside before the pair burst to the lead with 50m to travel and held off Learning To Fly and Benedetta in a thrilling finish to the fillies and mares feature becoming the first Adelaide jockey to ride a Group 1 winner since Todd Pannell claimed the Sangster aboard Bella Vella four years earlier.
Neindorf said he was forced to change his pre-race plans when the mare was awkward to leave the barriers.
“She stumbled at the start, I wanted to be a lot closer,’’ Neindorf said.
“At that point I thought let’s go back to the inside and I’ll try and ride a race
“A lot was going through my head, I was trying to treat it like a normal race,’’ he said.
And he said the win was for everyone who had helped him throughout his career.
“This isn’t for me at all, it’s for everyone,’’ Neindorf said.
Phillip Stokes was quick to pay tribute to everyone involved in his two-state stable which continues to thrive.
“It was great for Lachie to get the win,’’ Stokes said.
“Tommy, Kerrin and Adam (Brewster), the boys have done a fantastic job with her,’’ he said.
A confident front running ride by Mark Zahra was the key Victorian filly Vibrant Sun’s gutsy win in the
$1m Group 1 Australasian Oaks (2000m) at Morphettville.
Ridden confidently from a sticky gate to take up the front running role, the Mick Price and Michael Kent Jnr filly had to fight off numerous challengers deep into the straight.
New Zealand filly Pulchritudinous was the first to issue a challenge when she peeled off her back and looked the winner, before Coco Sun and Private Legacy flashed late to fall agonisingly short.
Kent Jnr was quick to praise the effort of the stable after the horse missed a crucial lead-up race heading towards the Oaks.
“Third-up, 2000m straight to the front, huge effort by the filly
“She missed the run in the Auraria with a little set back, it’s a huge effort by the team back home
“She was there to be beaten, huge effort, it’s an awesome result for everybody,’’ he said.
Zahra said the filly did a big job to fight off her rivals after numerous challenges in the straight.
“I dropped my rein half way down the straight it was a gutsy win,’’ Zahra said.
It was the second leg of a riding double after claiming the $150,000 Group 3 Breeders’ Stakes (1200m) with exciting colt Growing Empire.
Like Vibrant Sun, Zahra rolled forward aboard the Ciaron Maher-trained youngster and despite shifting off the fence when he was asked for an effort in the home straight
