Boracay Summer Perth Cup bound after Canning Trophy victory
Steve Withers-trained Boracay Summer produced a dominant front-running display to claim the Listed Canning Trophy at Cannington, storming home to victory in 29.69.
Sent out as the short-priced bookmaker favourite, Boracay Summer was electric from box one, holding the inside rail and surging clear down the back straight.
Bunji Man and Federal Focus attempted to apply early pressure, but Withers’ chaser exploded away, putting several lengths on the field by the home turn.
West On Boonie flashed home late to grab second, while Maximum Kuna and Bunji Man dead-heated for third in a tight finish.
Canning Trophy Final Replay – Boracay Summer (29.69)
Post-race, the Withers team acknowledged the race had been a key target for Boracay Summer, with bigger plans now on the horizon.
“We hoped it would play out the way it did. It could have gone a lot of different ways with Bunji Man just on the outside of her, but she’s been a handy little pick-up for the kennel, and we dropped her back to the 500m tonight, and she’s done super,” the team said.
With Boracay Summer holding the 601m track record, discussions quickly turned to future plans, with the Perth Cup series and potential interstate campaigns on the radar.
“Obviously, we had this race targeted for her, and just with time, it looks like we’ll head to the Perth Cup. There’s no saying she won’t step up in distance and contest a Group 1 in Melbourne either.”
The performance reinforced Boracay Summer’s credentials as one of WA’s most exciting chasers, with her early pace and ability to maintain high cruising speeds making her a force in feature races.
The win was the ninth of her career, boosting her earnings to over $75,000, and her impressive turn of foot suggests there’s plenty more to come in 2025, with Neds Bookmaker currently pricing her as a $26 hope to win the Perth Cup on March 15.
2025 Canning Trophy Final Results
2025 Canning Trophy Final ResultsCannington 520m Listed $20,000 to-the-winner Saturday, February 22, 2025
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| 1st |
1 Boracay Summer
T: Steve WhithersTime: 29.69Margin:
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| 2nd |
5 West On Boonie
T: Chris HalseTime: 30.18Margin: 7.00 Lengths
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| 3rd |
6 Maximum Kuna
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| 4th |
2 Bunji Man
T: Enzo CrudeliTime: 30.21Margin: 7.50 Lengths
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| 5th |
7 Better Call
T: Steve WhithersTime: 30.67Margin: 14.00 Lengths
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6th |
3 Lochinvar Hawk
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| 7th |
4 Show It
T: John GrahamTime: 31.13Margin: 20.50 Lengths
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| 8th |
8 Federal Focus
T: Paul KaltsisTime: 31.51Margin: 26.00 Lengths
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