Matamata visitor Sagunto etched his name into the folklore of the Gr.3 Humphries Construction Manawatu Cup (2300m) when he claimed his third victory in the race with a brilliant front-running performance at Trentham.
Successful in the Group Three contest in 2022 and again in 2023, the Peter and Shaun McKay-trained 10-year-old had been battling to recapture his best form in his current campaign, although he had given plenty of cheek from in front before fading to midfield in the Gr.3 Waikato Cup (2400m) at Te Rapa last weekend.
That run topped him off nicely for his favourite race and he made a liar of those who doubted his ability to return to the winners’ enclosure as a brilliant ride from Sam Collett and a never say die attitude from the son of O’Reilly resulted in him holding out all challengers for a brilliant win by just a nose from southerner Freddie Time.
Peter McKay was struggling to hold back the tears as he described what it had taken to get the stable favourite back to winning form after he injured a tendon in the 2024 edition of the race.
“Last year things didn’t go quite right for him as he had a bit of an issue with a tendon,” McKay said.
“He has come back this year and it has been hard work trying to find the right tracks and races for him, but we were really happy when he ran third at Wanganui (two starts ago).
“We weren’t sure whether to come here last week or run him in the Waikato Cup and he went really well thereafter being ridden well.
“He just loves it here and three (Cups) for him is really good.
“I said to Sam that she needed to take the reins away and hold on to his mane as that is the way you have to ride him.
“He will find his own gears as he knows what he is doing and if you try to rate him he doesn’t finish off. Shaun found that out and the other day after trackwork he came in and said, ‘wow he is ready’.
“We’re proud of him and for a horse to take it (the race) three times, we are really proud.”
Collett knew the horse had his own style and she was happy to let that come to the fore.
“He is a horse that has been around, has his own racing pattern and is fit enough to do the job he wants to do,” she said.
“Today it was just a matter of me making sure he was going quick enough, breathing well, but making sure he had enough for the end.
“I can’t take any credit as I just sat there and put him on autopilot as he knows what he is doing.
“It’s a credit to the team as he is 10-years-old, but you wouldn’t think that at all.”
Sagunto was bred by Waikato Stud, who offered him at Karaka as a yearling in 2017, where Peter and Kim McKay bought him for $120,000. His 77-start career has now produced 10 wins, 19 placings and $486,521 in stakes.