RED WAVE ROLLS ON

By Graham Potter | Saturday, March 18, 2023

The Red Wave rolls on with the four-year-old gelding scoring his fifth career win when taking out a Class 6 Handicap over 1600m at Doomben on March 18.

The Tony and Maddysen Sears trained son of Red Dazzler came into the race second-up after satisfactory enough first-up effort over the lesser 1400m trip.

That, and the fact that Red Wave had won the last two starts (over 2218m and 2200m) in his previous preparation suggested a bolder showing would be in play with the step up in distance as well as the fitness gained from his first-up run ... and that certainly was the case with Red Wave making no mistake, as a $4.20 favourite, taking the honours in a very comfortable fashion which saw him finish with a two length cushion at the line.

Red Wave, under Ben Thompson, was steadily away and was able to settle in midfield early, with the minimum of fuss, giving the leader six to seven lengths start as the field went down the first part of the back stretch.

When the two $10 chances, Applications and Magic Conqueror, did try to break-away from the field as they increased the temp further down the back straight, Thompson was vigilant to that fact, and he duly increased his own tempo on Red Wave, to the point that Red Wave was only between four and five lengths off the speed when the temp slowed up front again ... as it had to.

All the while, Thompson had Red Wave making up ground, and saving ground, with a beauty of a rails run.

Up to fourth and then third in the sweep to the home turn, Red Wave straightened with only the two long time leaders in front of him, with both of them now firmly in his sights.

Of those, Magic Conqueror was first to cry enough. Just inside the 200m mark, Red Wave only had Applications left to run down and, in spite of the latter trying to kick on bravely, Red Wave already had Applications’ measure with 100m left to run.

From the moment Red Wave hit the front, it was ‘race over.’

Secret Tales, a winner at her previous start, did run on well in the closing stages, but Red Wave was never in any danger of defeat, holding Secret Tales to that comfortable two length margin, in spite of carrying 3.5kg more than the runner-up, a fact which added even more merit to the win.

This win took Red Wave’s career earnings to $393 150.

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