On Thursday Andrea Mantegna went to the picturesque Hamilton and won in great style after just his second start over the hurdles. In what was a tough run for Magna where he drew out in barrier 10, he settled towards the rear of the field and travelled three wide without cover for a period of the race. He also over-raced at times and jockey, Tom Ryan, did a great job getting him to settle. Coming to the 800m, Tom angled him to the outside and he made a strong sustained run to the line to win by a couple of lengths. Magna really jumped well, and clearly improved from his good Warrnambool first-up run. It was a great result as we planned to get this horse ready to go over the jumps 6 months ago, and the plan has come to fruition. Archie Alexander will send Magna back to Warrnambool for a slow week before deciding what to do with him next.
RTD’s first winner over the hurdles – Andrea Mantegna
