Hill Enjoying Ride With Warrior Within
- Saturday, 01 October 2011 05:59
Seasoned stayer Warrior Within vindicated trainer Bruce Hill's decision to abort his spring campaign in Sydney with a convincing victory at Eagle Farm.
Warrior Within, ridden by Hill's son-in-law Paul Hammersley, fought back to claim Saturday's Shine Lawyers Handicap (2100m) by a length over Eureka.
Patmoss was a further short head away third.
Hill bought Warrior Within for $60,000 as a two-year-old at the Gold Coast breeze-up sales and has enjoyed the past four years training the son of King Cugat who took his prize money earnings to $245,800 with 10 wins from 49 starts.
"He's been a great old horse to me and I've had a lot of fun with him," Hill said.
"He's won from 900 metres to 2350 metres and has won on all sorts of tracks from rock hard to heavy."
Hill's biggest career win was with Warrior Within in the Listed Grafton Cup (2350m) in July.
That victory prompted Hill to send him interstate for the spring but the Gold Coast trainer quickly realised he may have been aiming a little too high with the six-year-old.
Warrior Within had his first spring start in the Listed Wyong Cup (2100m) last month and wasn't disgraced despite finishing ninth to The Verminator.
Hill maintained his Wyong Cup effort wasn't bad as he was "smashed" a few times in the run.
Hill, who was hoping to send Warrior Within to Melbourne on a country Cups campaign, returned home to Queensland following his ninth to Green Moon in the Group Three Newcastle Cup (2400m) last month.
"His Newcastle Cup run was good considering they went slow up front early and was left a little flat-footed," Hill said.
"He still got to the line well."
Hill had hoped to be in Sydney on Saturday for the Group One Metropolitan (2400m) but sensed the class of opposition would be too strong.
"He's been in work since January and I just felt they would be too strong for him in the Metrop so we came home," he said.
"He's done a good job still to be firing and he might have one more run before he goes for a break."
Hill's long-range plans for Warrior Within include next year's Brisbane winter carnival.
Meanwhile, former Victorian apprentice Patrick Keane landed his first Saturday win in Queensland aboard Looped in the Sealy Australia Handicap (1200m).
Keane was indentured to trainer Doug Harrison at Cranbourne before transferring to Gold Coast trainer Kelly Doughty 12 months ago.
"I rode for about 15 months in Victoria and rode a winner at Moonee Valley," the 19-year-old said.
Keane and winning trainer Lawrie Mayfield-Smith have shared a great partnership in recent months.
"I've had about 20 rides for Lawrie for 12 wins. I had four rides for three wins when Lawrie asked me to ride for him at Rockhampton a few months ago," Keane said.
