It seemed to take an eternity to announce the winner of this years Epsom Handicap but it was soon declared a dead heat. Here’s what the jockeys said post race.
Brenton Avdulla (Ellsberg – Winner / Deadheat)
“Half way up I thought Hughie was home and the closer we got to the line I knew I was coming strong and I thought on the post I got him. But racing is a funny thing. When I came back (to scale) I would’ve been shattered if my number didn’t come up and the longer we were here (waiting for a result) we both said to each other “I just hope for a deadheat”.”
“It’s a Group 1 race, I only picked the ride up on Wednesday. He wasn’t going to run so we got him in last minute. I didn’t think he was well in at the weight but he was still able to share in a Group 1, so it’s amazing.
Hugh Bowman (Top Ranked – Winner / Deadheat)
“I thought he (Brenton Avdulla) got the bob. I felt like it was a bob of the head margin. I felt like after the post I still had a margin on him, but on the line I wasn’t so confident. But there was a fair bit going on.”
“We’ve got a heavy track here, testing conditions for all horses and it was a solidly run event, which I really wasn’t predicting with the smaller Epsom field this year. But I thought that played into my horse’s favour.:
“I followed Brenton in the run, came out when I was ready and (trainer) Annabel (Neasham) has just done an amazing job with him to bring him back from a slight injury in the Chipping Norton. To bring him back to win at this level is a great training performance, but it’s no surprise because we know how good he is.”
Kerrin McEvoy (Hinged – 3rd)
“Great run by her. She is brave. Gave a good kick, fought hard but the others were that little bit stronger.”
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James McDonald (Icebath – 4th)
“She ran well as always. Just Top Ranked left her flat footed and she just didn’t make up the ground. I was happy with her performance but still disappointed.”
Regan Bayliss (Nimalee – 5th)
“Gallant effort from her. She just lacked a turn of foot compared to those who had softer runs. She has more in store for her this Spring.”
Tommy Berry (Fangirl – 6th)
“Wet track was a big concern going into it and played a big part today.”
Jason Collett (Kiku – 7th)
“The mile at that tempo was too testing for her.”
Rachel King (Cross Talk – 8th)
“Just raced very hard within himself early and didn’t finish off.”
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Jay Ford (War Eternal – 9th)
“Had a good run. He tried hard. Found a few better on the day.”
Pippali (Kathy O’Hara – 10th)
“Got really bogged down and hated it.”
