DEEP TEMPEST'S POSITIVE WINNING STRIKE-RATE

By Graham Potter | Sunday, January 7, 2024

Deep Tempest made it four wins from only ten starts when he landed a Class 3 Handicap over 1600m at the Sunshine Coast on January 7.

The lightly raced five-year-old had served two long periods away from race action (the nine months from December 2021 to September 2022 ... and fourteen months from September 2022 to November 2023).

He was then quickly back to her winning ways, saluting second-up on November 26 ... beating the subsequent The Wave winner Art’s Object by the narrowest of margins ... before running third to Speed Map, both of those results coming at the Sunshine Coast.

Deep Tempest didn’t fare as well in his next start in town, finishing unplaced, but, coming back to the Sunshine Coast, Deep Tempest just picked up from where he had left off at his home track.

While Deep Tempest did drift from $2.30 to $2.70 in the betting, he still started a clearcut favourite and the David Vandyke trained son of Ocean Park duly got the job done, securing the victory by a 0.40 length margin.

Deep Tempest renewed his rivalry with Speed Map here, the horse who had beaten him into third place two runs back when Speed Map enjoyed a 4.5kg pull at the weights.

For this race Speed Map was still 3kg better off at the weights with Deep Tempest, but this time that would not be enough to peg back Deep Tempest who was taken straight to the lead by Ryan Maloney, who controlled the race at a slow pace from the front with a restrained Speed Map going back to last, some six lengths off the Vandyke trained runner.

Maloney continued to run the race to suit himself and he had the field stacked up behind him ... now covered by only a little over three lengths ... as Deep Tempest came to the home turn.

As the speed came on on straightening, Deep Tempest attempted to kick away and that move early in the straight accounted for all but one of his rivals who were already beaten halfway down the home straight.

The exception was Speed Map, who had to switch around heels at the 300m mark to find clear running. Once he did, he began to close up on Deep Tempest with every stride but, in the end, it was too little too late and Deep Tempest was safely home adding another victory to his name.

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