PARK / DU PLESSIS FIND THE KEY TO BE WATER MY FRIEND AS THE GELDING MAKES IT TWO WINS IN-A-ROW

By Graham Potter | Saturday, August 20, 2022

The Matthew Park trained Be Water My Friend made it back-to-back wins in a Class 3 Plate on August 20, when he rallied from near last place on the turn to storm home under a forceful ride by Mark Du Plessis to win going away by a 0.20 length margin.

Both of these wins came at Doomben over the 1050m trip.

Easy to back at $6.50, Du Plessis took Be Water My Friend back from the number eleven barrier draw at the break, but the son of headwater was still held four wide for much of the race.

Du Plessis did push Be Water My Friend along during the sweep to the home turn, where he cornered all of five wide with just over five lengths to make up, and Du Plessis stayed busy on the Park trained runner as it began to make up ground, gradually at first early in the straight … and then with a bit of a flourish over the final 200m.

There was still plenty of work to do for Be Water My Friend in a hectic, final chase to the line though with almost a line of six horses spread across the track as the leaders came through the 50m mark, but Du Plessis, who had Be Water My Friend racing on the outside of that group, had Be Water My Friend fully wound up now and, although the five-year-old gelding would only make certain of victory in the final few strides, it was ultimately a race winning effort as Be Water My Friend beat the $5.50 joint favourite Gemelon Bolt to the line by a 0.20 length margin.

Be Water My Friend has now won three of thirteen starts, with two of those wins (and a second placing) coming in the three starts the horse had had since transferring to the Matthew Park stable and having Du Plessis in the saddle.

More articles