Pakenham trainers Peter Moody and Katherine Coleman could almost have set up camp in the winners’ stall at Flemington over the years; but a regulation win in an $80,000 Benchmark-70 race meant more than most at headquarters on Saturday.
Gallant Son, a well-bred four-year-old colt out of Written Tycoon/Plucky Belle, gave stable apprentice Emily Pozman her first taste of victory at Australia’s most famous track.
It was Gallant Son’s first victory since his debut race in June 2024; a first campaign that ended with an unsuccessful throw at the stumps in the ‘stallion-making’ Group 1 Coolmore Stud Stakes.
Gallant Son has since run solely in Group and Listed company; meaning he carried the number-one saddlecloth and was burdened with weight on Saturday after a drop back to benchmark level.
Pozman’s three-kilo claim was important, reducing the weight from 64 to 61 kilos, as was her association with a horse that she had plenty to do with during the early morning mist at Tynong.
Pozman was positive from barrier five, taking up the early lead and aiming down the middle of the straight.
Pozman had to get busy at the 400, but Gallant Son responded in the style of a good horse to claim his first success over the five-furlong (1100m) journey.
He held off the fast-finishing Along The River, with the Gavin Bedggood-trained Castellar lifting into third place.
Pozman was thrilled to ride her first winner on the famous turf at Flemington.
“I’m just really pleased that I got to do it for Kat (Coleman) and Moods and on a horse like Gallant Son, who I do a lot of work with at home and he’s just the best for a colt, he’s got the best manners ever,” Pozman said.
“He’s stepped up this prep, he’s off to a winning start, and hopefully he goes onward and upwards.”
Moody and Coleman had high expectations for Gallant Son last spring, but continued shin soreness saw him miss the most lucrative time on the calendar.
The trainers reset their targets, with a first-up win on Saturday the immediate fruit on offer.
“He’s come back better than ever; he’s a colt and he’s super-chilled, so he always carries a little bit of condition,” Pozman explained.
“We’ve been doing a lot of work with him at home, just getting him right for today, but I probably have to thank Moods and Kat for picking this race out and using my three-kilo claim.
“He still carried such a big weight today, so he was so tough.
“I thought I might have gone a little early from home, and I got a bit stressed, but he just kept finding for me.”
Coleman had a look of mission accomplished as she spoke of the win post race.
“It’s worked out brilliant; obviously Em (Pozman) is our stable apprentice and for her to have her first winner here at Flemington, on a horse that she does a lot of work on at home, is probably her favourite horse in the stable, she just adores him, as do all the staff really, so very special for her to get her first Flemington winner, for us, and on a horse that she adores,” Coleman said.
The winning trainer said she wasn’t entirely confident when Pozman started to shake the reins with 400 left to run.
“I was a little bit concerned there; I thought that maybe we were off the bridle a long way from home, and obviously it’s a long straight here, and we still had quite a lot of work to do,” she said.
“But he really dug deep and it was pleasing to see.”
Coleman said Gallant Son would decide his own destiny with his upcoming performances this prep.
A start in the time-honoured Newmarket Handicap (1200m) is still definitely on the table.
“We won’t have any grand ambitions just yet, he’s come off a long break and he’s still only very lightly raced, all things considered, so this should be a good confidence-boosting win and hopefully we can sort of take him through his grades,” Coleman said.
“If he measures up, you might see us there.”
Flemington trainer Danny O’Brien claimed training honours on Saturday, scoring wins with Sun Gift and Porter, while jockey Luke Cartwright piloted both Tarvue and Fission to victory for local trainers John Sadler (Pakenham) and Robbie Griffiths (Cranbourne) respectively.
Racing returns to Flemington this Saturday, before the babies roll out for the Blue Diamond Previews at Caulfield on January 24.
