Sacrify surges past stablemate to seal Rosehill win

By Adam Dobbin of Racenet
 
Mollie Fitzgerald could only watch on by as Tom Sherry sailed up on the inside to land a decisive win aboard Sacrify at Rosehill Gardens on Saturday.
 
Gun apprentice Fitzgerald had to settle for second in the 1800m Benchmark 78 affair with Luskaire which delivered Annabel and Rob Archibald the race quinella.
 
Fitzgerald had ridden honest toiler Sacrify at his four previous starts this time in, including a tough as teak win at Hawkesbury at the club's stand-alone meeting last month over the same journey.
 
But Sherry was no stranger to the honest four-year-old Justify gelding either, having guided him to victory at Canterbury last November.
 
Co-trainer Rob Archibald said post-race that he momentarily had to realign where to look as the two stablemates streeted clear to fight out the race over the concluding stages.
 
"It was good to see Sacrify get back to form. It was too heavy last start for him, he handles it but he's not at his best on it,” Archibald said.
 
"Today was perfect conditions and I thought Tom got him into a really nice spot in the run.
 
"Probably a pair further back than we might have thought but he got to the place to be with that tempo and Tom was patient. "He waited for the gaps to open up and produced him at the right time."
 
Saturday's Rosehill Gardens success extended Sacrify's record to five wins and six minors from 21 appearances with stake earnings now upwards of $300,000.
 
And while over the moon with the performance of the winner, Archibald said the effort of Luskaire to finish second was another step in the right direction. In a touch of irony, the five-year-old gelding's last victory was in November last year when ridden by none other than Tom Sherry.
 
"He took a lot of confidence out of his run (second) at Canterbury last start," Archibald said.
 
"He didn't win but he performed much better and today was another forward step. "Mollie rode him nicely, a bit quieter and he closed off beautifully."