The $1million Magic Millions purchase Petronius shed his maiden stakes status as a rising seven-year-old in Saturday’s Listed Ladbrokes Lightning Hcp (1000m) at Eagle Farm.
Ridden by Michael McNab for Barry Lockwood, the son of Redoute’s Choice made the most of his 6kgs pull in the weights over the gallant Exceed And Excel gelding Athelric to win by three-quarters of a length with the 6yo Exosphere gelding Deepour a length and a half back in third.
Appearing for the first time since winning over 1350m at Doomben on Christmas Eve, Petronius advances his record to seven wins, six seconds and four thirds from 26 starts with earnings of $472,355.
Trained initially by Gary Moore, Petronius has three wins and a second from four starts for Lockwood, who revealed the son of Redoute’s Choice suffers terribly from travel sickness.
“If he was a traveller, he would be staying in Rockhampton, but he can’t travel, so the owner sent him down here, and he’s won three out of four now,” Lockwood said.
“It happened to him after the Gold Coast when they called it off early (Magic Millions Day). We went down and back in a day, galloping him on the Monday, and he had a temperature of forty by Wednesday.
“He likes being here; he’s happy.
“He could go to the Eyeliner. He’ll be right for those trips. He’s okay on the short ones. He’ll be fine, it’s just because we had to go down to the coast and back on the same day. He’ll get that far, or we could just wait another week and run him here (Eagle Farm) in a 1400-metre race.
Article courtesy of BreedNet, author, Mark Smith – full article HERE
Michael McNab gave Petronius a super steer. pic.twitter.com/wvUTU6LNgh
— SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) June 3, 2023
Barry Lockwood has done a masterful job with Petronius, who has won three from four now. He'll now head to the Eye Liner. pic.twitter.com/0VfaMhfTnK
— SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) June 3, 2023
