With Peter Snowden's reign at Darley rapidly drawing to a
close, the respected trainer added another trophy to the cabinet when Sidestep
captured Saturday's Group II Royal Sovereign Stakes (1200m) at Randwick but it
did not come without some anxious moments.
Looking to be hopelessly bottled up between runners, Kerrin
McEvoy finally saw some daylight on the son of Exceed And Excel who charged
home to defeat the Ken Kelso-trained Bounding (Lonhro) by a short-neck with
2-1/2 lengths the David Aitkens-trained In Cahoots (Bradbury's Luck) in third.
Snowden said the plan to ride Sidestep positively went out
the window when the 3yo colt missed the start.
"It wasn't the script at all, we wanted to be positive
and have him up on the speed from the good draw today but he was slow out and
everything went pear shaped."
"He (McEvoy) didn't panic, I'll give him that. He bided
his time and hit the line hard.
After a run of outs after finishing second in last year's
Golden slipper, Sidestep mad it two wins on the trot having captured the Darby
Munro Stakes last start.
"This preparation he has been getting back to his
two-year-old form and as I said the win the other day gave him some confidence
and he wanted to attack the line well today," Snowden said adding that he
would most likely back-up next week in the Group I All Aged Stakes (1400m).
A victory in that race would put the seal on a future stud
career at Darley.
In earning his third stakes win, sidestep takes his overall
record to 3 wins, 3 seconds and 1 third from 13 starts for earnings of $1,323,500.
A half-brother to Group 1 winner Skilled (Commands) and
Group II winner and Epsom Hcp runner-up Ambidexter, Sidestep is the fifth foal
of Sandown Guineas (G2) winner Dextrous (Quest For Fame).
A half-sister to AJC Oaks (G1) and Ansett Australia Stakes
(G1) runner-up Light Work (Danehill), as well as stakes placed Bromide (Canny
Lad), More Haste (Brief Truce) and Dealers (Viscount), Dextrous is out of the
stakes-placed Handy Proverb mare Many Hands from the family of the great
racemare Emancipation.
Dextrous has an unraced 2yo filly by Commands named
Fragrance, a yearling filly by Medaglia D'Oro (USA) and a filly foal by Golden
Slipper winner Sepoy.
She was bred back to Exceed And Excel last year.
