Touristic takes out the Lord Mayors Cup at Rosehill

Touristic returned to winning form in the Listed Lord Mayors Cup at Rosehill, benefitting from his ideal conditions to secure his first victory since June of last year.

Trained by Peter Snowden, the six-year-old gelding relished the heavy track conditions and delivered a strong finishing burst under jockey Andrew Adkins to defeat Major Beel by 2-1/4 lengths, with Glory Daze another three-quarters of a length away in third.

Adkins, who rode a double on the day, said the key to Touristic’s win was a clean break and an economical trip through the early stages of the 2000m race.

“The biggest thing for him today was to get out well and have a smooth run, and we ticked both boxes,” Adkins said. “He travelled fluently and had enough left to finish strongly. The wet ground really played in his favour.”

Touristic’s win on Saturday came after a solid fourth in the Gosford Cup last start and follows his runner-up finishes in last year’s McKell Cup, Grafton Cup, and Premier’s Cup.

Assistant trainer Aaron Lau said the gelding had been working well leading into the race and that the stable was confident of a big showing at Rosehill.

“He drew well, he’s familiar with the track, and the conditions were in his favour,” Lau said. “His last few runs have shown us he’s been building toward this result.”

Lau noted that Touristic could now be aimed at the Winter Cup or the Caloundra Cup as he continues his strong preparation.

“We’ll see how he pulls up, but there are some good options on the radar for him in the coming weeks,” Lau said.

Earlier in the day, Adkins also partnered the Joe Pride-trained King’s Secret, a half-brother to Private Eye, to a narrow victory in the Toyota Forklifts Handicap (1100m), capping off a rewarding afternoon in the saddle.