Pearce's Rise Continues With Yabigorse

Saturday, 13 March 2010 11:25

Star young Perth trainer Ben Pearce scored the biggest win of his short training career when Yabigorse romped away with the listed TJ Smith Trophy (1600m) at Ascot on Saturday.

Pearce, 22, is a young man going places and Yabigorse continued his impressive recent run when he scored his latest dashing success.

Allowed to bowl along clear of his rivals by Peter Knuckey, Yabigorse set up a big lead approaching the turn and he found sufficient in the straight to easily hold out a challenge from the favourite Morant.

"It was a very good win," Pearce said. "He's as tough as nails."

"When he came to the turn and he was so far in front I knew it was all over because he wasn't going to be stopping."

The plan right along was to let the three-year-old gelded son of Tiger Hill roll along in the lead and make his rivals chase.

"Pete (Knuckey) said before the race that the leaders were winning," Pearce reported post race.

"And he thought it was a bit softer on the inside so he said he would roll one or two horses off the fence in the straight and he did and it seemed to work."

Pearce, who has about a dozen horses in work at Lark Hill, came to the races on Saturday thinking that he might have been running for secons place - such was his respect for the favourite and last start stakes winner Morant.

"I wasn't that confident to be honest," Pearce said. "Morant is such a good horse that I thought he was still going to beat us."

"I would have been happy to run second to Morant. But I'm thrilled to be able to beat it."

It's full steam ahead to the Group One WATC Derby now for Yabigorse.

"I think he will get the trip all the way to the Derby. So we'll keep going and see how far we can go."

Yabigorse, who made $75,000 at the 2008 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, is by Tiger Hill.

He is a half brother to Brisbane stakes winning mare Fabiarna - a winner of six races and over $230,000 in prizemoney.