Racing
Hedged returns to winning form in Australia Stakes
Favourite flops while summer form is to the fore in pre-long weekend feature.
After a Flemington failure last start, Gavin Bedggood's confidence in Hedged has paid off with victory in a dramatic edition of the Group 2 Australia Stakes at Pakenham.
Jockey Harry Coffey said that it was his advice to Bedggood that perhaps it was time Hedged headed to the paddock after the Group 3 Standish Handicap on January 10, but Bedggood could find no reason to try again over the same 1200-metre trip.
"When this Hedged turns up, he is a serious horse," stable representative Darryl Horner said.
"Gavin is convinced that he is a group one horse (but) he is a bit of a headscratcher now.
"He's a funny sort of horse who has been good all prep and into each run but Gavin being the perfectionist, this is a big thing for a small stable."
In a return to the winners' list, two starts back Hegded took out the Listed Christmas Stakes (1200m) at Sandown in convincing style and added this to his black type list by 2-lengths over Veight ($19) with War Machine ($1.30) in third.
"We just wanted to keep it simple and ride the horse where he was happy," Harry Coffey said.
"We wanted to lead and get things on his terms but old Veight was pretty sharp from the machine so I was going to have to bustle through to hold him out.
"I was in a predicament but when the field broke up, I was able to get to the outside of the heels of Veight, Hedged grabbed the bridle and he was a different horse.
"He is so much happier outside of horses compared to being bustled up on the inside."
While race fitness paid dividends for Hedged, hot favourite War Machine looked a threat into the home straight and closer to the rail but faded quickly to finished third jumping slowly from the barriers.
Outsider Cannonball ($126) suffered a catastrophic injury on at the 500-metre mark and had to be humanely euthanized.
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