Lightly raced 6-year-old gelding Spurcraft hasn’t been off the board in 14 starts and his consistency paid off with a well-deserved maiden black-type success in Saturday’s Listed Bribie Handicap (1050m) at Doomben and credit jockey Les Tilly and trainer Charlotte White with their first stakes winner.
Having his first start since undergoing a tie-back throat operation in May, the son of Jet Spur led every step of the way to defeat Badajoz (Commands) by two and three-quarter lengths with three-quarters of a length to Tycoon Ace (Tycoon Ruler) in third.
White, who divides her training duties with her job as the deputy head of the Clifton State School, said Spurcraft would make his next start in the Listed Falvelon Stakes at Eagle Farm with the hope of gaining a wildcard entry into the Magic Millions Snippets race on January 11.
"He had a tie-back operation after he ran second in the Bat Out Of Hell in May. We decided to give him a really long break and it is paying off," White told AAP.
"I knew he was back after we gave him two jump-outs and he won them easily."
Tilley said that Spurcraft should have had a stakes win to his credit before the Bribie.
"I think I stuffed up when we were second in the Listed Chief De Beers earlier this year. This win made up for it," he said.
"Now he is breathing properly he will be hard to beat in anything."
The Rogers family homebred is the first live foal of the Starcraft mare Carnivale Queen who is a half-sister to Blackrock College (Volksraad) the Joint third top filly on The 2001-02 NZ 3YO Free Hcp with a pair of Group III wins and a second in the Group 1 NZ One Thousand Guineas.
Spurcraft becomes the ninth stakes winner for Corella Stud’s Flying Spur stallion Jet Spur who stands the current season at a fee of $3,850.
