GRAHAME Begg has always had a belief Cardinal Gem could be a player at Group 1 level and he will give him his chance in the Stradbroke Handicap at Eagle Farm in June.
Cardinal Gem carried 60 kilos to win the Listed Anniversary Vase (1400m) at Sandown Hillside on Saturday and had to produce a powerful finishing burst to get home to win.
“He had to go and pick himself up which is not easy to do with 60 kilos on your back, but I know he’s a very genuine horse,” Begg said after the win.
“He loves Sandown and the big, long stretch and a good solid run race,” he said.
It gave Begg a winning double as he also trained exciting three-year-old gelding Katsu to win earlier in the day.
Begg is firing with his team and he has 18 city winners from 81 runners at a strike rate of 22 percent and a profit on turnover of 26 percent.
Jockey Jordan Childs rode both of Begg’s winners and he was also successful in the VRC St Leger on the outsider Dunwoody for Matt Cumani.
Childs had a tough week after the passing of one of his best mates Dean Holland.
The 27-year-old has ridden 26 winners in the city for the 2022-23 season at a strike rate of 13 percent and 8.6 percent profit on turnover.
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