Ambassadorial scores determined win at Sandown

The Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott-trained Ambassadorial has defied her long odds starting price to score a determined win at Sandown.

A son of Melbourne Cup winner Fiorente that was prepared by Waterhouse, Ambassadorial took out the MRC Early Bird Renewal Handicap (1400m) on Wednesday.

Ambassadorial was almost friendless in the betting with a starting price of $91, however there was support for the two-year-old on the TABs around the country, with a high of $47.10 on the Victorian tote and a low of $16.60 in Queensland.

In NSW, Ambassadorial returned a win dividend of $26.20.

Ridden by Jordan Childs, Ambassadorial scored a half-length win from Sunsets ($9) with Masonry ($6.50), a close-up third.

Ambassadorial, owned by UK trainer Jane Chapple-Hyam and her sister Ann Peacock, finished more than seven lengths astern of Spirit Of Nurai on debut at Sandown on July 12.

Waterhouse and Bott called for a set of blinkers to be added to Ambassadorial’s race gear on Wednesday which had the desired effect.

Childs said the gelding appreciated getting on the roomier Sandown Hillside track on Wednesday after his debut performance on the Lakeside track.

“I think natural progression from his first start to his second start certainly helped,” Childs said.

“On debut he got a bit lost.

“They went along at a good gallop last time and he got in behind them and coming down the hill on that Lakeside track they can lose their way a little bit sometimes, especially being their first start.

“He just didn’t know what it was all about, but today he was a lot more switched on.

I was able to fire him out and get him outside the leader and he was a lot more professional today.”