Last year’s Victoria Derby winner Lion Tamer has won his first race of the 2011 Australian spring in the Group 1 Underwood Stakes at Caulfield Racecourse last Saturday September 17, 2011.
The four-year-old entire won the $350,000 Underwood Stakes by almost one and a half lengths ahead of Southern Speed and Midas Touch.
Lion Tamer was second-up in the 2011 Underwood Stakes after finishing fourth in the Group 1 Challenge Stakes behind Mufhasa in New Zealand.
Trainer Murray Baker will now aim Lion Tamer towards the 2011 Cox Plate and Melbourne Cup later in the spring.
“We are happy with that run,” Baker said.
“He has done plenty of work at home and he ran on well at Hastings.
“The 1400m was a bit short for him and today he had to show something to be a candidate for the weight for age races.
“We’ve always thought he was a good horse.
“He missed last autumn and VRC Derby winners have this thing about them which makes you wonder if they are going to come back.”
Baker said Lion Tamer’s owner is determined to experience a Melbourne Cup win.
“We would like to run him in the Melbourne Cup,” the trainer said.
“His owner Mr Bailey is 88 and he ran second (in the Melbourne Cup) with Blue Denim and he is keen to get it.”
Lion Tamer, who had ten months off following his Victoria Derby win last year due to injury, has now won six of his 12 race starts and accrued around $1.3 million in prize money.
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2011 Underwood Stakes Results
| Finish | No. | Horse | Trainer | Jockey | Margin | Bar. | Weight | Starting Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8 | LION TAMER (NZ) | Murray Baker | Michael Rodd | - | 6 | 58kg | $16 |
| 2 | 15 | SOUTHERN SPEED | Leon Macdonald & Andrew Gluyas | Danny Nikolic | 1.25L | 12 | 56kg | $31 |
| 3 | 5 | MIDAS TOUCH (GB) | Robert Hickmott | Nicholas Hall | 1.45L | 2 | 59kg | $9 |
| 4 | 7 | GLASS HARMONIUM (IRE) | Michael Moroney | Ms Lisa Cropp | 3.45L | 11 | 59kg | $5.50 |
| 5 | 9 | PLAYING GOD | Neville Parnham | Steven Parnham | 3.55L | 14 | 58kg | $7.50 |
| 6 | 3 | HEART OF DREAMS | Mick Price | Damien Oliver | 3.95L | 13 | 59kg | $6 |
| 7 | 6 | PRECEDENCE (NZ) | Bart Cummings | Steven Arnold | 4.15L | 9 | 59kg | $17 |
| 8 | 13 | SCARLETT LADY (NZ) | Graeme & Debbie Rogerson | James McDonald (a) | 4.35L | 7 | 56kg | $11 |
| 9 | 14 | LIGHTS OF HEAVEN (NZ) | Peter G Moody | Ben Melham | 4.85L | 3 | 56kg | $4.80F |
| 10 | 1 | EFFICIENT (NZ) | Robert Hickmott | Steven King | 8.85L | 4 | 59kg | $41 |
| 11 | 12 | BRAZILIAN PULSE (NZ) | Michael Moroney | Craig Newitt | 11.1L | 8 | 56kg | $51 |
| 12 | 2 | MASTER O’REILLY (NZ) | Judy Mawer | Matthew Allen | 14.85L | 1 | 59kg | $201 |
| 13 | 11 | SHAMROCKER (NZ) | Danny O’Brien | Glen Boss | 15.05L | 5 | 56kg | $13 |
| 14 | 10 | RIGHT OF REFUSAL | Nigel Blackiston | Michael Walker | 15.25L | 10 | 58kg | $101 |
