Brilliant Linebacker heads Kiwi quinella in Silver Eagle

[Wandering Eyes]

Two New Zealand-bred horses lined up in the A$1 million Silver Eagle (1300m) at Randwick on Saturday and filled the first two placings, headed by a sparkling performance by Linebacker.

Previously the winner of three of his 10 career starts headed by the Gr.1 Randwick Guineas (1600m) in the autumn, the first-crop son of Waikato Stud’s rising star stallion Super Seth had a spring setback last month when he sprained an ankle and was ruled out of the Gr.1 Epsom Handicap (1600m).

But Linebacker showed he was back on track and caught everyone’s eye with a win in a Randwick trial last week that also featured the champion sprinter and Saturday’s A$20 million Gr.1 The Everest (1200m) winner Ka Ying Rising.

Linebacker was sent out as a $3.10 favourite for his assignment on Saturday, and the John O’Shea and Tom Charlton-trained four-year-old made it look easy despite a tricky draw of 12 in a 13-horse field.

Despite never getting closer than three off the rail, jockey Zac Lloyd was able to find cover. Linebacker took care of the rest, taking command in the straight and going on to score a dominant victory by two and a half lengths over Go Racing’s promising Contributer gelding Lord Penman.

“He is so nice to ride,” Lloyd said. “I thought today was a query, obviously he’s had a couple of setbacks, but John and Tom are just training him so well. His trackwork rider Santiago too – the horse can be quite keen and he does a fantastic job with him.

“I just tried to keep it smooth and trust that I was on the best horse. I actually got a lovely run, considering he was three deep and they weren’t going fast. I had cover off the horse in front of me, because he was a bit off the fence.

“He put that field away so quickly and there is still so much more to come with him. I am so excited. He knows how to get the job done and he is a serious racehorse.”

Linebacker has now had 11 starts for four wins, two placings and A$1.63 million in prize-money.

“This horse has just been going so well,” O’Shea. “I was really disappointed when we had a setback early in this preparation, because I was desperate to run him in the King Charles (Gr.1, 1600m).

“Zac (Lloyd) has got a great understanding of him now and the team have done a great job, my staff at home. A lot of work has gone into him to get him to this point.

“He’s in great form and Zac is riding him really well, so I’m very happy.”

Bred by GSA Bloodstock, Linebacker was purchased out of Haunui Farm’s draft at New Zealand Bloodstock’s National Yearling Sale for $160,000 by O’Shea and Suman Hedge Bloodstock.

He is a son of the English-bred Oasis Dream mare Garden Of Swans, who is a half-sister to the Gr.1 Sandown Eclipse Stakes (2000m) winner and sire Mukhadram.

Saturday’s runner-up Lord Penman, previously a four-time winner in New Zealand for Cambridge trainer Stephen Marsh, has now had 11 starts for four wins, four placings and A$439,164 in stakes. He was a $60,000 purchase by Toro Bloodstock from Mapperley Stud’s yearling draft at Karaka in 2023.

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