Stadiums upsets in NSW Straight Track Championship Final
In a stunning turn of events Stadiums, trained under Stephen Davies, claimed victory in the NSW Straight Track Championship Final held at Richmond on Thursday.
This unexpected win secures his spot in the National Straight Track Championship in Murray Bridge, South Australia, scheduled for two weeks.
Starting from Box 8, paying $19 with Neds, Stadiums capitalised on a lane down the middle of the track.
Despite facing some obstacles mid-race, he successfully held off the $1.45 leading bookmaker favourite Express Ethics, winning at 17.61 and 0.75 lengths in front of the three-year-old dog, who will also be representing NSW alongside him in South Australia.
NSW Straight Track Championship Final – Stadiums (17.61) T: Stephen Davies
One of Stadiums part owners, Sherril Blanch, expressed pride in his performance.
Shared that their main aim was for him to give his best effort regardless of the final result.
She mentioned how she advised him to stick to the side and steer clear of any clustering in the middle, a strategy that clearly paid off.
Stadium has shown progress at Richmond, with this victory being his seventh on this track.
This year, Davies shifted his focus to Richmond’s straight track, which has proven to be a successful move.
Before this shift, Stadiums had been competing over longer distances.
Davies pointed out how Stadiums seems to perform on the Richmond track, mentioning that he feels more comfortable on straight tracks compared to circular ones.
His tall and somewhat awkward build seems to suit the track races, allowing him to showcase his abilities without any hindrances.
Following his triumph at Richmond, Stadiums is now getting ready for the 350m challenge at Murray Bridge, scheduled for August 24, where Davies believes the additional 26 metres of this track will work in his favour to give him more space to pick up speed and find his rhythm.