Zac Lloyd’s hot run of form continued on Saturday at Rosehill, steering home four winners and another Group 1 triumph aboard Belle Cheval in the Vinery Stud Stakes (2000m).
Lloyd jumped Belle Cheval ($2.60f) out into third place, trailing leader Stand My Ground ($101), and remained there until the home turn when shifting off the fence and easing After Summer ($61) out of the way.
The daughter of Savabeel quickened smartly and dashed a length clear but was wayward at the 200m, lugging outward noticeably.
Ironed out by Lloyd, the Kiwi youngster kept kicking but After Summer was now beginning to re-press, staging a final lunge on the line.
After addressing the photo finish camera, a nose was found in favour of Belle Cheval, but the race didn’t end there with After Summer’s rider Billy Egan quickly lodging a stewards’ objection.
“That (on the turn) has cost me a good length. We’ve started on level terms, and he has bumped me, and my horse has lost a length going back, so on that evidence alone, beaten a nose, that’s cost us the race,” Egan said.
Egan said he was forced to “build my momentum for a second time” and the time taken to reignite his horse’s engine was significant, though Lloyd dismissed the logic.
“If anything, he was riding his horse into me (on the turn), which was shown by his right hand off the horse,” Lloyd said.
“I don’t think that has cost him any ground and I just thought that was a move that was very subtle.
“Over the last 200m, I think it’s quite evident my horse has lost three-quarters of a length shifting out and I think if you pause at the top of the straight to the end of the race, Billy Egan has finished on about as a straight an arrow as you could find; I don’t think he veered his horse in or out at any point.”
Stewards threw out the protest, giving Lloyd his second victory after Annie’s Rose ($3) had won earlier.
Thirty-five minutes later, Egan again came off second best to Lloyd when Idle Flyer ($1.95f) beat Blindedbythelight ($31) before the young gun completed his winning quartet on Welwal ($12).
In the Tancred Stakes (2400m), James McDonald added to his Group 1 tally when Aeliana ($1.75f) lifted off the canvas to wear down Dubai Honour ($3.60) in a pulsating home stretch battle.
Tom Marquand cranked up the ante on Dubai Honour from the 800m and had his rivals rowing away in behind, booting three lengths ahead of Aeliana early in the straight.
But the demanding task took its toll on the UK visitor with Aeliana reeling him in over the final 15m to score by a short neck.
