Raging Halo made a successful return to sprinting, taking the featured US $25,000 Sian’s Gold Sprint on Monday’s 10-race card at Santa Rosa Park.
Ridden by experienced reinsman Brian Harding, Raging Halo, the champion turf performer in 2009 and 2010, was a 6-1 choice and prevailed over Sikhara, under Praven Badrie, by 2-1/4 lengths in the seventh race on the card.
Raging Halo, a six-year-old, chestnut horse, dashed 1,100 metres in one minute, eight and 1/5 seconds to allow champion trainer John O’Brien to start the New Year the same way he ended with a victory in a feature event.
“He is a very good turf horse from 1,100 metres to 2,000 metres. He ran really well and Brian Harding did a great job with him.”
Harding said: “He was struggling in the early part of the race, but they were going fast in front. He began to pick up halfway through the race and from the far turn he was motoring.
“I knew I had them coming to the corner as the two leaders were coming back to me. Once we were in line for home and I asked him for his effort, he outran them.”
Raging Halo was under pressure early in the event, as Cubic Capacity, with Ricky Jadoo astride, set a torrid pace.
Going to the far turn, Cubic Capacity kept up the gallop, but Sikhara and Personal Exchange, under Richard Perez, were closing on the leader.
On the turn with the leading trio going great guns, a gap appeared on the rail, and Harding took full advantage to bring Raging Halo into a challenging position just behind the leaders.
At the corner, Sikhara took up the running from Cubic Capacity with Personal Exchange challenging on the outside and Raging Halo coming up the inside.
With 300 metres left, Harding put Raging Halo in command and began to draw away from Sikhara and Personal Exchange as First To Fly, with Kiran Razack aboard, made late headway to the leaders.
In the end, Harding celebrated his third Sian’s Gold success.
