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Albany pair show their class in Cyril Flower Stakes

Headshot of Cameron Newbold
Cameron NewboldAlbany Advertiser

Albany duo Dream Lifter and Potent Secret have continued their impressive campaigns, running second and third respectively in the listed $100,000 Cyril Flower Stakes (1200m) at Ascot on Saturday afternoon.

In a quality 12-horse field, the Albany pair performed strongly once again, as Great Shot powered home late in the race to down Dream Lifter by half a length, with Potent Secret one length behind in third place. Dream Lifter, trained by Paul Hunter, won this same race last year and was brave in the run, lumping 58.5kg to sit just off the speed before lifting under the urgings of jockey Mitchell Pateman late in the race to grab second.

Hunter was pleased with his star sprinter’s effort and signalled intentions to head towards next month’s $120,000 Bunbury Stakes (1400m).

“We are pleased, he tried his hardest and you couldn’t ask for much more,” he said.

“The winner had 4.5kg less and it’s always hard (carrying) above 57-58kg but we’ve earned it and we are not complaining.

“He looks to have pulled up OK.

“We’ll look to freshen him up and head to the Bunbury Stakes, all things being equal.”

The Danehill Express gelding’s campaign has included finishing fourth in the Summer Scorcher and a second in the Mungrup Stud Sprint.

Potent Secret, prepared by Roy Rogers, sped across from barrier eight for rider Jerry Noske to find the front and lead into the home straight before being run over late in the race.

Five of the last six starts for the talented son of Secret Remedy have been in listed races, where he won the Summer Scorcher and ran second in the R.S Crawford Stakes before third placings in the Scenic Blast Stakes and Cyril Flower Stakes.

Rogers said Potent Secret had been a model of consistency this preparation.

“He did a bit of work to cross and battled on bravely,” he said. “If he drew an inside gate I think he could have won the race. He has been consistent in all those listed races —, a win, one second and two thirds.”

It was a successful weekend for the Great Southern, with Wagin galloper Corporate Larrikin, the 2014 Fitzpatrick Plate winner, taking the final race at Ascot on Saturday for trainer Angela Smith and former Albany hoop Tayla Stone. Albany apprentice Casey Hunter scored a win at Esperance on Dark Shot, and fellow local jockey Natasha Faithfull also had success on Butterfly Kiss.

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