Pike lifts Sheeza Belter to victory in Hot Danish Stakes

[Wandering Eyes]

Sheeza Belter under William Pike claims the Group 2 Hot Danish Stakes.

After a less than ideal preparation, Sheeza Belter has prevailed in the Group 2 Hot Danish Stakes (1400m) for Peter and Paul Snowden with perfectly calculated a ride from William Pike.

A mix of wet tracks and niggling issues had restricted the Group 1 winning three-year-old filly to just one run this spring in The Invitation two weeks ago, two months after her first barrier trial for this campaign.

Settled three back on the fence from barrier one in The Invitation, it wasn’t until nearing the 25m that William Pike was able to ride her out and she was subsequently beaten by three lengths.

Punters got behind the daughter of Gold Standard, backing her into second favourite $5 odds with online bookmakers to take the consolation win.

2022 Hot Danish Stakes

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Pike had the daughter of settled fifth to the outside throughout the run before unleashing an impressive turn of foot down the straight to run down the Ciaron Maher & Dave Eustace-trained Lavish Girl ($7.50) with More Secrets ($26) flying home into third for Team Hawkes.

Paul Snowden spoke of her interrupted prep after the win,

“It’s no massive issues, just infections and things like that that take time to get over and move on with,” said Paul Snowden of her interrupted preparation.

“The work stops and we basically had to pull the pin at one stage and stop. Hindsight is a wonderful thing. We would have gone into Caulfield but she’s not a fan of wet tracks. We know what happened around that time into Derby Day.

“We gave her a really good chance in the Invitation. I know it was first up and she profiles better when she gets into a preparation, but we had her as good as we could leading into two weeks ago and to see her not get any daylight, trucking in behind the wall there was very frustrating. Knowing what she’d done in the lead up gave us good confidence.”

“She wasn’t going to have a hell of a lot of racing this Spring owing to what she did last preparation. Looking to more of an Autumn campaign with her leading into Brisbane again next year.

“Here we are back on top of the ground and she’s winning. Full credit to her.”

Pike praised the Snowden team and his mounts impressive turn of foot,

“I suppose it wasn’t a traditional second up, she’d been in work a long time. The stable have done a fantastic job. I don’t even want to know the issues they had. Then we pulled a shoe walking out. I thought here we go. She was the perfect patient.

“It might make her come on as a racehorse.

“Like being held back while she is full of beans and having to learn to ply herself. Her manners have come on so much in the short time I’ve been here.

“I think it feels like you always want to be closer, but she likes to be curled up and she travelled into the race like the winner.

“Obviously, she let down and in the end, she was loafing around. She did it well.”

Pike was reluctant to predict what the future could hold for Sheeza Belter,

“Especially with a turn of foot like that. I will leave that up to them guys.

“Just enjoy the moment.”

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