SNEAK PREVIEW COMPLETES A HAT TRICK OF WINS

By Graham Potter | Saturday, January 27, 2024

Sneak Preview ... a gift that keeps on giving.

You would think that would more or less be the sentiments of the David Vandyke stable after Sneak Preview had completed a hat-trick of wins by taking out a BM85 Handicap over 1800m at the Sunshine Coast on January 27.

The eight-year-old is arguably racing at the top of his game making light work of carrying 60kg while keeping younger rivals back in the minor placings.

Queensland top apprentice Cejay Graham has been in the saddle for all three of Sneak Preview’s latest wins (he has twelve wins overall) and her knowledge of the horse certainly played its part in securing the win in a highly pressurised finish in which only 1.40 lengths covered the first seven runners across the line. (Graham, in fact, was in scintillating form on the day, riding four winners on the card).

Graham jumped Sneak Preview (the $3.40 favourite) into third place at the break, a position she held throughout the first half of a slowly run race.

When a couple of riders were not happy with the speed and pushed forward from behind, Sneak Preview went back to fifth place with Graham happy to keep her mount in a holding pattern as the runners took the sweep to the home turn.

Graham then went to work approaching the home turn and was riding fairly hard as Sneak Preview chased hard along the inside.

In fourth place, still with a little under three lengths to make up with 200m left to run, its was a real hard slog home for the Vandyke runner who, to his credit, kept coming to range into contention ... along with others (there was a line of four horses across the track with 100m left to run).

Sneak Preview’s will to win was very apparent in what happened next. So strong to the line ... so committed ... perfectly in sync with his rider, Sneak Preview stretched out, put his head in front and simple would not be denied another victory.

The win di come by a 0.30 length margin in the end, the fact that Sneak Preview was giving the runner-up a 6kg advantage at the weights summing up the absolute merit in the win.

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