Fantastic Prospect Grabs The Spotlight

Sun Herald

Sunday February 17, 2008

Max Presnell

Bank robber had Gai Waterhouse waxing lyrical about the AJC Derby after he scored at Randwick yesterday like a budding top-liner. But then along came Light Fantastic, another three-year-old, at Moonee Valley.

Certainly it could not be argued that Bank Robber was more impressive.

After all, Bank Robber was too good in a restricted 86 rating event, the Randwick Betting Auditorium Handicap, while Light Fantastic accounted for a strong field in the Nissan Stakes, carrying a much stronger listed category.

When Craig Newitt asked Light Fantastic, off the bit approaching the 600 metres, to extend, the gelding made Gibraltar Campion look common. Gibraltar Campion, previously an easy winner in a listed weight-for-age race, was hailed the winner on the turn but was left well in the winner's wake at the end.

Light Fantastic went into yesterday's engagements with only a Kyneton maiden kill at his other start.

"Only good horses do what he did today," trainer Mick Price said, adding that his "motor kicked in" when required, another vital attribute of a rising group 1 type.

No doubt the Australian Guineas at Flemington on March 8 is well within his ability range, particularly over the bigger Flemington stretches.

Still, the trainer wonders whether Light Fantastic will qualify without another start and whether he can do so much so quickly at his first preparation.

But the irrepressible Waterhouse figures the brilliance of Bank Robber over 1400m yesterday will extend to races like the Rosehill Guineas (2000m), followed by the AJC Derby (2400m).

Bank Robber is also having his first campaign. He isn't bred along classic lines, being by Dash For Cash, but perhaps there is stamina on the dam Saliah's side. She is by Salieri.

Anyway, that's the way racing's first lady is thinking, so Bank Robber, a $70,000 buy, will continue to make an impact on the Sydney scene, as will her two-year-old Sebring, which made the opposition look a lesser breed in the Canonbury Stakes.

He may not have beaten anything of merit, but it was the way he did it.

"He has all the attributes of a Golden Slipper horse," jockey Blake Shinn declared.

All bar one: he's tardy at the start. In the early helter-skelter at Rosehill it could prove disastrous.

Obviously Waterhouse will be working on this but Sebring, if anything, will also be suited by a journey longer than the Golden Slipper distance. However, his figures were much better than the two-year-old fillies in the Widden Stakes, won by Delta Girl.

Maybe Sebring made cannon fodder of moderates and half-fit youngsters, but his finishing 600m section told the tale of his raw talent - 34.7 seconds. The promise of two-year-olds can be gauged by the times they run against older horses.

Yes, Bank Robber had to go further, but his final section was marginally slower at 34.77.

Later in the program, Fighting Fund took the open sprint, The Sydney Lexus Handicap, over 1200m and recorded 34.75, still a measuring stick although the track had chopped up after earlier racing.

Fighting Fund was ridden with determination by Kathy O'Hara, who looked good against Hugh Bowman (Bobadah) and Dan Nikolic (Hoystar).

Nikolic had revenge in the final event, handling Posadas in the Bacardi Breezer Handicap with great delicacy to withstand the bold finish of the petite blonde on Spy Zam.