Yellow Brick nails The Archer at Rockhampton after delay
The team of Tony and Maddysen Sears faced a brief postponement, yet the victory made it all rewarding when their key runner Yellow Brick took out The Archer in Rockhampton.
Scheduled initially for Sunday, the $1 million slotted contest was deferred owing to concerns over segments of the straight near home – zones around 200m, 150m and 80m were heavy-going, contrasting with the good conditions elsewhere on the circuit.
Tommy Berry stayed available for the shifted date and navigated the $3.40 favourite safely around the turn, providing the Group 1 contender with generous clearance in Rockhampton's extended straight.
Local contender Cherry Rose mounted a bold challenge from the 300m, but higher class told, Yellow Brick crossing the line a length in front of Anemacore ($19), with Boomtown Boss ($10) a head away in third.
Training alongside her dad, Maddysen Sears called the result an emotional highlight for the clan with their star performer, elevating his career earnings past $3.7 million courtesy of win number 10.
"It's just really special," Sears said.
"My grandma's here to watch, all my family come out to do it.
"We brought the right horse up and someone told me a couple of days before, a very good trainer in Melbourne said he's going to win for fun and he did.
"He's the pivotal horse for my career. Anyone that knows me, knows my family, this horse is this horse is so special."
Berry noted confidence during the race, acknowledging a top jockey's role in bringing him north for the ride on Yellow Brick.
"They just wanted me to make sure I got room," Berry said of the instructions.
"He's a big horse and he takes a little bit of winding up, but it was a good effort today. Because he was first up and he was a little bit keen in the run and being on the fresh side.
"Great effort by the team to get him ready, to get him ready twice too for today. It was worth coming back for, for the second time.
"He's definitely got a good carnival ahead. They've got some nice races mapped out for him. Thanks to James McDonald, he's the one who got me up here, so I'll try and keep it, and you can ride something else from now on, that'd be nice."
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