Hemlock Stone rocks in Perth Cup

PERTH - Three-time Perth Cup winning jockey Patrick Carbery admitted he was not sure what to expect from Hemlock Stone in the latest edition of the staying feature at Ascot on Jan 1.

Hemlock Stone scored an upset in the A$1 million (S$845,000) 2,400m feature sponsored by TABtouch to deliver trainers Grant and Alana Williams a fifth win in the past seven editions of the race.

The Dalghar five-year-old was sent out one of the rank outsiders at 80-1 ($153 on the Singapore Pools tote) for the Group 2 event, but saved his best performance when it mattered most to outlast the more fancied Diamond Scene (Clint Johnston-Porter).

Carbery, who won the Cup aboard Lotilla Bay in 2001 and Midnight Blue in 2022, rode the gelding for the first time in the time-honoured race and said he was glad he put it all together at the right time.

“His last run wasn’t terrible, but he still had to elevate quite a bit,” Carbery told TABradio.

“Doing his video form going into the race I thought I was on a quirky horse.

“I thought there was three of him and I wasn’t sure who I was going to ride.

“I’d never sat on him before, and he was an absolute marvel.”

The winning time of 2min 27.33sec was the second fastest behind Guyno (2:25.99 in 2009) since the trip was reduced to 2,400m.

Carbery said the strong speed ensured Hemlock Stone had every possible chance.

“He relaxed really well,” he said.

“It was a good tempo and I got on the right ones’ back and he pretty much outstayed them.

“To his credit, he was strong through the line.

“It was a genuine staying test, and I think that’s what brought a few of them undone.”

While Hemlock Stone was one of the outsiders in the field of 15, Carbery said he knew better than to doubt the Williams stable’s ability to get the stayer right for the day.

“The thing I was positive about was I was riding for a team that could get their horse to the big races in great order,” said Carbery, whose second Perth Cup winner Midnight Blue was also trained by the Williams couple.

“Their record speaks for itself and that’s probably what I was banking on.

“They obviously work well as a team and have great staff behind them.”

Williams, whose previous four Perth Cup winners had all been well backed (between 3-2 to 6-1), looked a little shellshocked when the much less fancied of his two runners saluted the judge. He also saddled defending champion Casino Seventeen (Billy Egan, 20-1) who came from last to run a creditable fifth.

“I actually wanted to put this bloke out. I had a good chat with (Belhus racing manager) Pete (Morley) and actually, because of the syndication, he puts in so much for racing and he said it’s good for business,” said Williams.

“Even today at the pre-race parade, I said ‘guys, let’s get excited, we’ve got a horse in the Perth Cup. So, good luck!

“I actually thought my old horse (Casino Seventeen) would run good, and when I looked, he went past him. It actually blew me away.

“On his day, he’s good, but I still thought he wasn’t up to this, but at the top of the straight, he had a full head of steam.

“So good for Belhus Racing. When we became public trainers, they sent me 15 horses straight away. I can’t thank them enough.

“As for Pat, we’ve actually got a good record in big races. That’s his second Perth Cup for us, not too bad, is it?

“We’re just really happy to put him on. When I went through the list, Pat still didn’t have a ride, so it was a no-brainer.” Racing WA