After earlier wins aboard the Eurell trained Shrewd Rhythm and in the Group 1 CF Orr Stakes on El Segundo, Oliver showed great judgement to steer Apache Cat to the outside and win under his big weight of 61kg.

Apache Cat ($5.50-$6.00-$5.50) went on to win by 1¾ lengths from Zimstar ($31) with a half neck to Straight Legs ($15-$16) in third place.

Oliver dedicated his winning treble at Caulfield today to the memory of his auntie Betty who died last week in Perth.

"She used to keep all the records of all my rides", said Oliver.

"She used to cover my career in amazing detail and she was a soul mate for my Mum and she will be sadly missed."

Oliver was impressed by Apache Cat's finishing burst.

"He settled a bit further back than I expected, but it was a strong pace", he said.

"At the top of the straight he sprinted quite quickly for a horse with 61 kilos, giving a lot of weight to some handy mares."

For Eurell, winning two stakes races in one day was a highlight of his training career.

"No", was his succinct response when asked if he had ever had a better day at the races.

Eurell explained that he chose to run Apache Cat in the weaker Menere BMW Stakes rather than the Group 1 CF Orr stakes because of the taxing Autumn campaign he has planned.

"The horse always pulls out a strong run first up and he's got a long way to go this time in and we really didn't want to give him a gut buster to start off with", Eurell said.

Eurell was very happy with Oliver's ride.

"He's the ultimate professional Damien", he said. "He didn't bustle him early."

"Its a big factor to consider when you're lumping that weight."

"You've just got to let him blend into the race and gradually bring him up to his top and just kept rolling along from there."

Eurell plans a Melbourne campaign for the Autumn followed by Sydney if all goes well.

"He'll contest the Carlyon from here then the Blamey and then we'll head up to Sydney and have a go at the Ryder then hopefully into the Doncaster."

Eurell will be hoping for a better result for Apache Cat in this year's Doncaster after bad luck last year where he ran last.

"He missed the start, bounced out and went too hard, carved out his first 1000m in about 57 and still hung on to his credit, but it just didn't happen on the day unfortunately", said Eurell.

With today's victory, Apache Cat took his record to 7 wins and 4 places from 18 starts. He has won $1.266 million for connections.

Photos: Fiona Tomlin

© Cyberhorse 2024 Bill Saunders Published 10/02/07