Ex-Docker scores ‘biggest win’ with Mankind

Hayden Ballantyne’s decorated AFL career was filled with plenty of great moments but his biggest thrill on a racetrack has been delivered in Albany as Mankind rocketed home to win the $100,000 TABtouch Fitzpatrick Plate (1230m) at Percy Spencer Racecourse on Sunday. Ballantyne, an All-Australian and 171-game player with the Fremantle Dockers, has been training less than a year but in just his second trip to the Albany circuit, landed his first major feature race. The moment is one Ballantyne won’t forget any time soon as Mankind, the horse he first tasted success with, stormed home from tenth on the corner to power over the top of Baraki Beats and Free Trade in the final 100m. Jockey Chloe Azzopardi steered Mankind to the outside on the home corner and bustled the four-year-old to the line as they edged out the heavily supported $2 favourite Free Trade by 0.7 lengths. The victory capped a superb weekend in the saddle for Azzopardi, taking both major feature races on offer in WA after she also won the $100,000 Mandurah Cup in Pinjarra on Saturday. Mankind, a former Peters Investments horse, has now won four races for Ballantyne and came into the sprint feature with consecutive minor placings at Ascot over 1400m. Ballantyne said Mankind was originally set for this Sunday’s Mungrup Stud Sprint and he will now press onto a second $100,000 feature in the Great Southern region. “We set him more so for the Mungrup next week, this was a test run,” Ballantyne said post-race. “He has won three races in town but this is his biggest win dollars-wise and my biggest win as a trainer. “Free Trade was the best horse in the race and it was wide, we were wide but with cover and when he gets in space he always runs on well. “I like to run him two weeks in a row then have a few off so as long as he pulls up good we’ll come back for the Mungrup next week.” Ballantyne has just two horses in his stable but was eager to expand his stable. “I want to build my stable up but I’m pretty picky with my horses,” he said. “I’m going up to Mungrup (Stud) in a few weeks to have a look at a few there and I’ll try and buy a couple at the Magic Millions sales.” Azzopardi was soaking up a splendid two days, where she had five rides in total but won two feature races. “It was run a lot quicker than a race in town and today he struggled to keep up with them,” she said. “I thought it was either going to go one of two ways but as soon as we got to the outside he knew there was a job to be done. “Hayden has placed horse really well and he’s been very loyal to me so it’s nice to pay him back in that sense.” A minor protest from rider Mitchell Pateman was lodged after his mount Beautiful Mind had to be restrained near the 75m mark. Pateman and Beautiful Mind finished fifth and protested against the third placed horse Baraki Beats and rider Colin Haddon after laying outwards in the straight. The protest was dismissed but Haddon pleaded guilty to a careless riding charge and was suspended for 12 days as a result.