Disneck too slick in Standish Handicap

Outside draws proved decisive in the Group 3 Standish Handicap (1200m) at Flemington, with Disneck scoring his first black-type victory.

Barriers 11 and 12 dominated the finish in the 12-runner sprint, delivering a surprise result for many.

Ridden by Daniel Stackhouse and sent out at $11, Disneck settled well back before unleashing a sweeping run down the middle of the track, surging clear at the 200m to defeat Extratwo ($41) by a length, while Contemporary ($101) finished a long head away in third.

Race favourite Hedged raced closer to the inside but failed to fire, finishing tenth, beaten 6¼ lengths.

Before Saturday’s breakthrough, Disneck’s standout victory had come in benchmark 94 grade, though he had hinted at stakes potential with a solid fifth in the Group 3 Rising Fast Stakes (1200m) over the Flemington carnival.

A seemingly disappointing Hawkesbury trial, where he was beaten 6¾ lengths, may have discouraged some, but Stackhouse remained confident.

“I spoke to the stable representative this morning and he said, ‘just ride him cold, give him his chance and just be patient,’” Stackhouse said.

“He’s got a great turn of foot. I wasn’t too concerned about his first-up trial.

“I thought he’s really good when he’s fresh, he’s ran really well down the straight and I thought back on top of the ground, we mapped right, being out wide, trained by Bjorn Baker.

“A lot of ticks there, so I was very confident going forward.”

The jockey said Disneck’s racing pattern suited the contest perfectly.

“The plan was to get back obviously and follow Mark Zahra (aboard Aviatress, 4th),” Stackhouse said.

“I knew his horse would give us a good run into the race.

“He’s really effective when he’s ridden cold like that. He’s got a great turn of foot and you can see that he’s got there too early.

“He pricked his ears when he got there but he just was going so well and he just put himself into the race that quickly, but it was a nice win and that’s a good start to his preparation.”

There was strong interest across major betting platforms for the Standish Handicap, with the wide lanes again proving advantageous.

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