STREET DANCER WINS FOR THE SECOND TIME IN HIS LAST THREE STARTS

By Graham Potter | Wednesday, May 4, 2022

The four-year-old Prince Of Dubai gelding, Street Dancer, maintained his highly consistent record for the David Vandyke stable when he proved too strong for the opposition in a BM78 race over 2218m at Eagle Farm on May 4.

Street Dancer had joined the Vandyke stable as a one-time winner from nine starts when transferring from the Anthony Cummings yard … and this was his second win in four starts for his new stable (and he has finished second and third in his other two outings).

While Street Dancer was too strong in his latest victory, that doesn’t mean that it was an easy win.

Ryan Maloney jumped Street Dancer, the $1.70 favourite, into an immediate lead and he continued to dictate the speed to suit himself for much of the running.
Street Dancer was closely tracked throughout by the $4.20 second favourite Traduce and, after the Vandyke runner brought a tightly packed field to the home turn, the race went on in earnest on straightening.

Maloney gave Street Dancer more rein and he lengthened his stride, but Traduce kept fighting to stay with him and Savvy Oak ($4.80) was also putting in a spirited challenge on the outside.

Street Dancer continued to kick on strongly enough but, as he came under pressure, he began to shift ground, moving outwards, inconveniencing Traduce (who then dropped back) and carrying Savvy Oak (who fought on but couldn’t make up the leeway) out wider on the track.

Any thought of a protest probably fell away quickly as it would have been hard to make a case that either of the placed runners were going well enough to beat Street Dancer, but Maloney was advised afterwards by stewards ‘to stop and straighten his mounts when they shift ground in future.’

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