SHARP DAZZLER CUTS DOWN THE OPPOSITION TO MAKE IT BACK-TO-BACK WINS

By Graham Potter | Saturday, February 17, 2024

Having found his winning touch at his last start ten days earlier, the Tony and Maddysen Sears trained Sharp Dazzler went on with it here, taking out a QTIS Three-Year-Old Handicap over 1600m at Eagle Farm on February 14 with some aplomb.

The result turned the betting board’s prediction on its head as the race’s strong main fancy, the $1.80 chance Jungle Prince, also a Sears trained runner, was roundly out-performed by his stable-companion Sharp Dazzler who started at double figure odds of $10. Jungle Prince, who was only having his second race start and is still learning his trade, ultimately finished in fourth place.

For Sharp Dazzler and jockey Cejay Graham, who also partnered the son of Red Dazzler to his pervious win, the race panned out perfectly.

Taken back into the second half of the field after the start, Sharp Dazzler raced some six to seven lengths off the lead for the first 1000m of the race with Graham comfortable to allow the two main fancies, Captain Fenkel (the $4.80 second favourite) and Jungle Prince to travel one-two at the head of affairs.

Sharp Dazzler started creeping closer on the approach to the home turn, angling out all of four wide on straightening as Graham positioned Sharp Dazzler with a clear run to the line, albeit still with four lengths to make up.

When the early leader Captain Fenkel cried enough at the 200m, that, momnetarily, left four horses ... Texas Fireball ($21), Jungle Prince, Meat ‘N’ Artie ($9.50) and the quickening Sharp Dazzler stretched across the track vying for the honours.

Of those, Texas Fireball initially gained the upper hand to claim a length-and-a-half advantage over Sharp Dazzler ... and, with Jungle Prince and Meat ‘N’ Artie not finding anything more, it became a two horse race between Texas Fireball and Sharp Dazzler inside the final 100m.

Texas Fireball was game, but it was Sharp Dazzler who found an extra gear when it mattered most, and the Sears trained runner surged to the line in emphatic fashion, his late acceleration proving to be too much for Texas Fireball to be able to deal with.

The winning margin was 1.46 lengths.

That’s two wins for Sharp Dazzler now in twelve starts ... but the most notable statistic there is that the two wins have come in his last two starts, suggesting that the corner has well and truly been turned.

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