Ichnusa wins again at Caulfield

The Ciaron Maher stable appeared to have a strong contingent in contention for a Caulfield three-year-old event, but it was the outsider of their duo who ultimately claimed the victory.

Maher's stable entered both the $2.40 favourite Decalogue and the $6.50 chance Ichnusa for the Sportsbet Feed Handicap (2000m) held on Saturday at Caulfield.

Decalogue's bid for victory was compromised by over-racing in the early stages, leading to a fifth-place finish. Meanwhile, Ichnusa launched a powerful run down the outside to secure a half-length win from Our Chief ($5), with Dirnaseer ($9) a further three-quarters of a length back in third.

While the Maher team had harboured expectations of Decalogue triumphing, the win by Ichnusa was not entirely unexpected.

Ichnusa was making only its second career start, having demonstrated its ability with a win over 1600m at Seymour on debut.

Jack Turnbull, Ciaron Maher Racing's National Assistant Trainer, shared that the stable had adopted a patient approach with Ichnusa, a strategy recommended by part-owner and breeder Rick Jamieson.

"I thought he did a really good job as he travelled in patches," Turnbull commented.

"The race was run at a farcical tempo. He was on the bit, he was off the bit, and he was running in and out."

"He's got such a big action and he's such a talented horse and does it so easily."

"His half-sister is Suntora which gets over a trip, and he is bred to get a mile-and-a-half and beyond."

"Looking at genes, he's a TT which suggests he's going to be better for further development, and time."

"When we were training him in his earlier stages, Rick was very keen for us to be patient and let him grow out, strengthen, and this is reward for that."

Turnbull indicated that the stable's next move for Ichnusa would depend on how the horse recovers from its Saturday performance.

Although Decalogue's finishing position was a disappointment, Turnbull considered the gelding's effort to be acceptable.

"He's a bold travelling horse and when Jabez (Johnstone) wanted to come back and get cover, they were running trackwork times and that is not his go," Turnbull remarked.

"It is disappointing the race was run like that and if he was able to get out and run his own race, I'm sure he would have run much better."

"He's tricky in that he needs things to go his way, he needs galloping room but needs to take a sit."

Check out the latest betting sites and apps with sign up bonus in Australia.

Get the best racing odds at leading bookmakers.