Posted on October 8th, 2013
07 Oct 2013 | By Rob Burnet
The new turf on the Kensington track at Randwick received positive reviews from the riders during the long weekend holiday meeting on Monday. It was the first time that the $1.7 million track had been raced on with its new Village Green kikuyu grass.
Kerrin McEvoy won the $50,000 Red Lightning Bolt supporting 4Tracks4Kids Handicap (1150m) for three-year-olds on Zocalos in the second race of the programme and immediately declared his support for the track.
“Beautiful. A lovely surface, obviously it is a new track so we do not want to see it hammered but it is a fantastic surface,” he said.
McEvoy had settled the Peter Snowden trained Zocalos on the rails behind the leader King’s Tariff and without moving from the rails he was able to send the Exceed And Excel gelding away with 150m to run. Zocalos was more than up to the task and he went to the line with a comfortable 3/4L to spare.
I Can Rock (Fastnet Rock) and Hugh Bowman were second with Not A Token Woman (Encosta de Lago) and Peter Robl third, the margin a short half-head.
The time was 1.07.19 on the Good 3 track with the final 600m in 34.54. Zocolas paid $5.80 on NSW TAB.
“He is a quick little horse and he zipped out of the barriers. We got a nice spot and he sorted of rested there doing it which was good to see and he picked up really well and continued all the way to the line,” said McEvoy.
“He is a horse who is improving and learning his trade and I am sure he is going to have a few more wins in his career,” he added.
Zocalos is out of the Bel Esprit mare Belcentra and this was his second win from four starts and the holiday stake of $29,125 took his earnings for Darley to $61,075.
