RIVER ROCKET UPSTAGES SACRED OATH

By Graham Potter | Saturday, May 7, 2022

Jasmine Cornish had eight rides at Ipswich on May 7 where her best results were one win, one second place, one third place and one fourth place.

The win came aboard the Les Ross trained River Rocket in a BM62 Handicap (for colts, geldings and entires) over 1350m.

The fact that Sacred Oath ($1.60) started as a short-priced favourite in the race allowed River Rocket, who was rated as the only threat to the favourite in the betting, to start at $4.

The other five horses in the race were all quoted at double figure odds.

The betting had pinpointed the only two horses who would ultimately have a say in the race, but it had got the result the wrong way around.

Cornish, who was riding the Ross trained runner for the first time, jumped River Rocket in the leading line and then elected to take the trail in second spot when Bounty Hunter ($13) wanted to lead.

Cornish held that position on River Rocket, just three-quarters of a length to the immediate outside of Bounty Hunter all the way to the home turn, with the favourite Sacred Oath, in turn, tracking River Rocket a couple of lengths back.

The race went on in earnest on straightening where Cornish wasted no time in pushing River Rocket into the lead. A couple of lengths to the good of the favourite at that stage, Cornish cleverly sought to cement that advantage by setting sail for home on River Rocket and challenging Sacred Oath to try to chase River Rocket down.

And that’s how it became the two-horse race that the betting had predicted.

In truth, while Sacred Oath did fight gamely all the way down the straight, River Rocket had his measure throughout the run home, producing a sustained effort which, in the end, carried the Hidden Dragon gelding to a clearcut 1.80 length victory.

This was the third successive day in which Cornish had ridden a winner. Gatton (Thursday), Townsville (Friday) and back to Ipswich on Saturday.

Talk about ‘have saddle will travel.’

No doubt about that with Jasmine Cornish!

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