By DAVID NAGEL
MICHAEL Phillips created history at Racing.com Park on Sunday, becoming the first home-trainer to strike a blow at the Pakenham Racing Club’s new home in Tynong.
Superbly ridden by his next-door neighbour Vlad Duric, Phillips’ four-year-old gelding Monkstone gave the affable trainer a huge thrill by taking out the $30,000 XXXX Gold Showcase BM70 Handicap (1200m).
“It’s a great thrill, I was the first to train a winner from this place and now the first to get one at the track,” Phillips said.
“And I’m just rapt, because it’s just such a great place to come and work at.”
Monkstone, beautifully bred out of Fastnet Rock-Catreign, was a highly-spruiked million dollar yearling, formerly trained by Peter Moody at Caulfield. At his first race start, as a two-year-old colt, he ran second to Robbie Laing’s flying-machine Lord of the Sky, and then won at his next start at Caulfield a fortnight later.
But he never realised his full potential, having the last of his eight starts for Moody at Wangaratta in August last year before going under the hammer at a tried-horse sale at Randwick.
Phillips and his good mate, fellow Pakenham-trainer Ross Elliott, ventured to Sydney to take a look. “Ross actually picked him out at the sale, and we had a talk about buying him, but I wasn’t interested because he was an entire,” Phillips said.
“But on closer inspection we found out he’d been gelded by Coolmore, so we placed a bid.
“We were happy to go to $25,000 and we got him for $23,000… that’s two wins from three starts for me now so he’s already paid for himself.”
Phillips said Monkstone, who has raced at Group and Listed company in the past, had the potential to reunite himself with the city tracks.
“He’s very strong, and he’s a well-bred bugger, so he might be good enough to go to town,” he said.
“He’s a good horse, he’s pretty handy, but I wasn’t confident today because it was such a good field, I thought he might just run into the money.”
Duric gave the $10 pop the perfect sit, camped in fourth place before the turn, before hitting the front at the 200 and holding on from a game Murt The Flirt ($3.40 favourite) back in second place.
“He’s won three races now and I’ve been on him every time, so he seems to go well for me,” Duric said.
“I’ve been fortunate enough to ride a winner at every meeting here so far, it’s on my doorstep and just a wonderful place to ride at.
“Mick lives three doors up the road from me, and I love riding a winner for a neighbour that’s for sure.”
Phillips’ other big hope for the day, Rushworth, battled into sixth place in Race 4, starting as $5.50 second favourite.
