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WAPITI TOUGHS IT OUT TO KICK OFF STRADBROKE SEASON WITH A GUTSY WIN IN A PRESSURISED FINISH

By Graham Potter | Saturday, May 4, 2024

Jack Duncan and Nikita Beriman drew first blood in the 2024 The Star Stradbroke Season ... the Brisbane Racing Winter Carnival ... when the old warrior Wapiti saluted in the opening race on the card at Eagle Farm on Saturday, May 4.

The now seven-year-old Wapiti, who boasts a Winx Guineas and a Toowoomba Cup win amongst his seven career victories, was very much up for the fight in a pressurised finish against the year younger Irish bred and Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott trained Youth Spirit, who Wapiti managed to nail in the very last stride.

“He is such a war-horse. He was three weeks in-a-row today and he was very tough,” said Beriman.

“Obviously, he was dropping back from Listed level (Wapiti had finished fourth behind Mighty Ulysses, Jimi Hendrix and Jimmystar in the Brisbane Mile in his previous start) to the BM90 today and he just had a beautiful run.

“The speed was genuine. He’s got no turn of foot ... he was up in weight (from 53kg to 58.5kg) ... but he has got a will to win.”

And Wapiti certainly needed that as it was a slog all the way down the home straight, with Wapiti not only having to make up ground to claim the win, but also having to cope with the sustained pressure coming from runners on either side him throughout the final 400m.

Wapiti just kept coming and he got there, even if it was only with a last stride bob of the head as a little over half-a-length separated the first four runners across the line.
It was a win hard-earned and well deserved.

As the saying goes, it doesn’t matter how much you win by!

Wapiti is a seven time winner from forty-eight starts, also having thirteen minor placings to his credit which has all contributed to his impressive prize-money haul of $724 796.

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Photos: Graham Potter
Photos: Graham Potter
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