The $1million ATC Channel Seven Stakes (1600m) at Randwick on Saturday didn’t carry Black Type, but was a Group I race in every other way featuring a stellar field of WFA performers with the cream rising to the top as comeback king Think It Over (8g So You Think x Personal Service, by Zabeel) nailed Zaaki on the line with glamour mare Fangirl in third place.
The Kerry Parker trained gelding hit a career high in the autumn of 2022 when beating Zaaki to win an epic rendition of the Group I ATC Queen Elizabeth Stakes and shortly after suffered a bowed tendon injury that threatened to curtail his career.
Parker and his owners committed to a diligent rehabilitation regime under the expert eye of Tim Boland at Limitless Lodge and the results have been there for all to see.
Two excellent runs in the G1 Winx Stakes and G2 Chelmsford Stakes had the eight year-old son of So You Think back to peak fitness and under a brilliant ride from Nash Rawiller, Think It Over pounced late to nab Zaaki and win by a head.
“It’s just so good to have him back and to make it all worthwhile to win a really nice race, and he’s done that today,” Parker said.
“You’re never confident with a bowed tendon. (Horse rehabilitation specialist) Tim Boland did everything possible for him, whatever needed to be done was going to be done and if he didn’t make it back, well he didn’t make it back. He was going to retire on top.
“But no-one told the horse that, he was just going to be a racehorse no matter what, he just loves it.”
Think It Over will now target the $5million ATC King Charles Stakes (1600m) on Everest Day and then the Cox Plate in Melbourne.
“That’s why he needs that little month off now, just nice fresh legs, give him a chance to come into the King Charles and then two weeks later the Cox Plate,” Parker said.
“He is family and I’m absolutely thrilled to see him get the job done today.”
A homebred for Richard Johnston’s Bylong Park, Think It Over started his career with John Sargent, but has blossomed with maturity and has the overall record of 13 wins and 12 placings from 38 starts with earnings topping $7.7million.
Think It Over is the best of four winners from five to race from well bred unraced Zabeel mare Personal Service, who died last year. She was a half-sister to Group I winners Universal Prince and Universal Queen as well as the dam of Group I ATC Coolmore Classic winner Krone.
A dual Group I winner, Think It Over is the highest stake earner for champion racehorse and leading sire So You Think, who stands at a fee of $99,000 this spring.
