In a brilliant display of sustained speed, a homebred son of a stallion that covered ten mares last spring at a fee of $4,400 downed a $700,000 son of Australia's highest-priced stallion in Saturday's $1,000,000 Newcastle Herald Hunter (1300m) at Newcastle.
Continuing a wonderful season for Joe Pride and Tyler Schiller the fleet-footed Turffontein gelding Coal Crusher proved his close-up fourth in the $3million Giga Kick Stakes was no fluke when leading at every call to defeat the I Am Invincible gelding King Of Sparta by a length with the So You Think gelding Rocketing By a length and a half back in third in track record time.
Though he has yet to win a stakes race, Coal Crusher advances his record to nine wins, seven seconds, and two from 28 starts with earnings of $1,307,690.
"That’s the way you win on him,’’ said Pride.
“I didn’t think he needed to go quite that fast, but I’m not going to criticise a winning ride.
“He really busted them up and maybe that’s what beat the opposition because he got them out of their comfort zone.
“He’s come back good this preparation, he’s been knocking on the door in harder races.
“I love this horse but only about half as much as my son loves him. It’s his horse and he adores this horse and it’s really special for him.
“It’s been fantastic, three Group 1s and an Everest, a Shorts and a Premiere, now this. This is up there with the best of the moments I’ve got to be honest with you.
“I train this horse for the Murphy family. Chris Murphy died about 12 months ago; he was the manager of INXS and his family race it with my family and this is a very special moment for all of us”
Coal Crusher is the best of three winners from the Royal Academy mare Media Academy, who has not had a live foal since Coal Crusher.
His sire His sire Turffontein now stands in Tasmania at Motree Thoroughbreds for a fee of $4,000.
