Sir Lucan wears down stablemate to win the 2025 Winter Cup

Sir Lucan has joined an elite group of stayers by claiming back-to-back victories in the Winter Cup, a rare feat last accomplished by Destiny’s Kiss and Royal Bark decades apart.

Returning to Rosehill for his second-up assignment, the Tulloch Lodge-trained gelding shrugged off a forgettable first-up effort, with Adam Hyeronimus delivering a race-defining ride from a tricky draw.

Pushed forward early, Sir Lucan ($21) took a sit just behind the pace-setting Bear On The Loose ($3 fav) and produced a strong finish to land the prize by three-quarters of a length. Hopeful ($31) ran home for third, a further neck away.

“He loves the Winter Cup, Sir Lucan. He won it last year and he’s won it this year,” said stable representative Neil Paine.

“Bear On The Loose is a horse you can’t hold up and you have to let run along. Young Zac Wadick rode him an absolute treat and it was good to see him fight out the finish.

“But Adam was right on his tail, knew exactly where he was going and got out at the right time.

“It’s just great for Sir Lucan, I don’t think he has won in between this year and last year.”

Hyeronimus, who steered Sir Lucan to victory in the same race last year, noted that getting the horse into the contest early was crucial to his success.

“He needs to be ridden like that. It’s the same ride as in the race last year,” Hyeronimus said.

“He can sprint once he has a soft, economical run but he had to do it early and he’s had to carry 57 (kilos) today in this race so he’s done a good job and he was tough late.

“Just book me for this race next year.”

Among the delighted owners were Adam and Monique Annetts, who departed for the UK after the win to watch Storm Boy run in the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes (1200m) at Royal Ascot. They remain minority owners in the colt, who was once trained at Tulloch Lodge.

“If they were flying economy they will be flying first class now,” joked Paine.

Sir Lucan joins Destiny’s Kiss and Royal Bark as the only two-time winners of the Winter Cup (2400m) since the race’s inception.

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