ALL INCLUSIVE HAS THE TODMAN STAKES IN HIS SIGHTS AFTER AN IMPRESSIVE WIN IN THE JEWEL PRELUDE

By Graham Potter | Saturday, February 24, 2024

Wow! That was quite a debut win.

To say that the David Vandyke trained All Inclusive’s performance was impressive is probably an understatement.

This QTIS Jewel Prelude for two-year-old colts and geldings over 1100m at Doomben on February 24 was always going to be an intriguing contest with the betting suggesting that the two Stuart Kendrick trained runners, Defiant Boom and Street Chase could be in the pound seats.

The betting, in fact, struggled to separate the Kendrick runners with Defiant Boom, who had a two start race experience over All Inclusive, eventually jumping as the favourite at $3.30 with Street Chase, who, like All Inclusive was having his first outing (after two trial wins), right behind him at $3.40.

All Inclusive, who came into the race with one trial win behind his name, was the third favourite at $6.

All Inclusive raced some four lengths off the early lead, in-between runners, with only two horses behind him in the eleven-strong field.

Ryan Maloney steered All Inclusive into clear running approaching the home turn, but that route carried the Vandyke trained runner five wide taking the deficit out to as much as six lengths on straightening.

That’s when the son of All Too Hard’s superiority kicked in.

Urged to go forward by Maloney, All Inclusive needed no second asking as he took up the challenge with meaning, putting all of his rivals to the sword, sweeping into the lead by the 100m mark with the minimum of fuss to score a win that ultimately was more clearcut than the official one length margin suggests.

The way All Inclusive cruised to the line over the concluding stages, with a touch of arrogance, rubber-stamped a victory of some note.

“He reminded me of Alligator Blood when I first saw him,” confided an emotional David Vandyke.

“We’ve always felt that he is going to be a better three-year-old, so what he is doing now ... what you just saw ... is raw talent.

“He is good at home, but you have got to meet him halfway. He’s got a little bit of a strong personality, but we all love him. He’s beautiful.”

Ryan Maloney also gave All Inclusive’s win a big thumb’s up.

“He did things wrong and still produced a turn of foot like that,” said jockey Ryan Maloney post-race. He just stepped slow like they can do in their first day at the races. He really wasn’t entitled to show that turn of foot.

“He is very raw but, as you’ve just seen he has obviously got a ton of ability,”

Not being a QTIS horse, All Inclusive won’t be going to $500 000 The Jewel at the Gold Coast but, instead, will be heading for Sydney to test the waters in a highly competitive cauldron down south where Vandyke has targeted the Group 2 Todman Stakes on March 9 at Randwick as All Inclusive’s next port of call.

“The Todman in two weeks ... 1200m. If he won that or runs second ... probably The Slipper after that, but I’ve also nominated him for The Sires,” confirmed Vandyke, “so, look, the pressure is off really.

"He’s just won his first start brilliantly. Everybody is happy.”

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