TOP FUN JUSTFIES HIS SHORT ODDS, BUT THE WINNING MARGIN WAS A LOT CLOSER THAN EXPECTED

By Graham Potter | Thursday, February 2, 2023

Two-Year-old racehorses not only take time to mature, but they do so at their on individual pace ... meaning a trainer’s judgement, as it applies to the management of any two-year-old in his or her care, will play a huge part in the natural development and therefore the race performance progress of their two-year-old runners.

The Tony and Maddysen Sears trained Top Fun is a case in point.

After winning a barrier trail, the Sears team handed a debut run to Top Fun in the Pat O’Shea Plate on September 24, but when the $4.60 race favourite didn’t perform to market expectations, Tony and Maddysen Sears pulled back on any immediate plans for Top Fun and gave him a full four-and-a-half months away from race action.

His return for his second race start, came at Ipswich in a QTIS Two-Year-Old Maiden Plate over the 800m dash on February 2, and the reward for the patience shown by the Sears camp was immediate.

Once again, Top Fun started favourite ... but this time he was a clearcut main fancy coming in at the restrictive odds of $1.95 on the betting boards, a level of confidence he would ultimately justify with the race win ... even if the margin of victory was closer than expected.

Top Fun jumped reasonably, but there was no shortage of pressure in the first half of the 800m contest as a line of horses contested the lead and there were four horses across the track approaching the home turn, with Ben Thompson keeping Top Fun in a competitive frame of mind amongst those, as the Sears trained runner cornered three wide.

The run home had to be precise by Top Fun and Thompson.

As the two runners inside then quickened early in the straight, Top Fun suddenly found himself with two lengths to make up. After getting balanced and picking up momentum, Top Fun surged forward, claiming the lead coming through the 100m mark, but that was not the end of it.

The $26 outsider In Motion, who had to wait for a clear run, was now flying up late on the inside of Top Fun, who had to stay very honest to the line ... which he did ... to score by 0.20 lengths.

For Top Fun, that always all-important first win was now on the scoreboard.

More articles