 True Persuasion made it two wins from two starts over the Moonee Valley 1200m course when he put in a late dash to take out the Essendon Fields Handicap tonight. Resuming after a 6 month spell, True Persuasion invited comparisons with his last Moonee Valley win where he beat the Doug Harrison trained Tan Tat Brave, which started a hot favourite. In his previous campaign he also put in good showings twice against Group 1 winner Denman. On the strength of that form, True Persuasion started a warm favourite tonight at $2.50 and ran accordingly. Racing just off the pace, rider Craig (Froggy) Newitt put in a perfectly timed run to bring True Persuasion ($3.20-$3.30-$2.50F) home a narrow but convincing winner against the Luke Oliver trained Overtake ($10-$15) ridden by Sebastian Murphy. Overtake put in a bold bid to lead all the way but was beaten by a short neck. The pair were a length and three quarters in front of Miss Supernatural ($17) in third place. "He's a good horse this", said Mick Nolan, foreman for True Persuasion's trainer Mick Price.  "The day Denman beat him, he was three and four wide the trip and then he came here and beat that horse that's got a fair wrap on him."
Nolan expects that True Persuasion will be competitive in longer, higher class races than tonight's event. "He's got a bit of class this horse and did show it today and a class horse rises to the top." "He'll get to 1400 or maybe a mile."
Winning rider Craig Newitt was also impressed by the entire son of Bel Esprit, which took a narrow opening between runners to win."He just seems to do as much as you ask him to do", he observed.
"The thing is he really relaxes well and he's got a great acceleration when you ask him." "He only got the run late but when he did he exploded through it well and he's got a good future." "I'm just glad he's little and he breathed in when we went through."  Newitt rode True Persuasion to his other win at Moonee Valley and told winning owner/breeder Marion Smart that he was the best horse of hers he had ridden.
"He had great form coming into tonight", he said. "He proved that here when he beat Doug Harrison's horse." "We actually thought he was a little bit big for the run tonight so I think he's got a very good future ahead of him." Smart bred True Persuasion by sending her mare True Peace to Victorian sire Bel Esprit. He is the fourth foal from her mare to race and her third winner. True Persuasion is a half brother to Mr Eisenhower (4 wins) and True General (10 wins). The family traces to third dam Sister Shirley (by Kaoru Star) the Group 3 winner of the SAJC Cheltenham Stakes. Photos: Quentin Lang, Fiona Tomlin
© 2010 Published 02/01/10
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