Hot favourite Last Supper bounded away to an impressive win on debut in the $75,000 Restricted Maiden 1 race (1200m) on Sunday.
Trained and owned by James Peters, Last Supper was the only progeny of new stallion Grunt, winner of the 2018 Group 1 Australian Guineas (1600m) and Group 1 Makybe Diva Stakes (1600m), in Singapore.
The three-year-old Australian gelding won two barrier trials under jockey Vlad Duric which probably boosted punters’ confidence in making him the $6 favourite on Sunday, but the proof of the pudding is in the eating.
After jumping on terms from barrier six, Last Supper cut across to the inside rail to lead at first, but with Big Max (Bernardo Pinheiro) showing a intention to lead on his outside, Duric decided to keep Last Supper under a good hold in second.
Turning for home, Duric switched Last Supper across heels for the final assault and he flashed past Big Max at the 350m. None in the field could muster an acceleration good enough to beat Last Supper, who won by two-and-a-half lengths from Big Max at the post.
Stablemate Spieth Heroine (Krisna Thangamani) made up stacks of ground on the outside to finish another length away in third.
The winning time was 1 min 10.45secs for the 1200m on the Short Course.
Peters, who bought the Last Supper from the 2022 Inglis Ready2Race Sale for A$62,500, saw him as a progressive miler with lots of promise for the next season. But as with all young newcomers, the jump was crucial to his win.
“It all depended on how he jumped today. Newcomers can be slow out or something else can happen, so you cannot be too strict with instructions,” said the English conditioner of his 13th winner this year.
“We only hoped he began well like he did, have an early pace and put himself out of trouble. He travelled well throughout and he’s a nice sort.
“He’s by a new stallion called Grunt and he’s (Grunt) a 1600m to 1800m horse, so he (Last Supper) looked like he’d be a 1600m horse. It was a great effort for him to win first-up over 1200m.
“I will talk to Vlad and see what’s available for him next. Maybe a Novice race over 1200m or 1400m, but I’m really looking forward to his future next year.”
Duric had good opinions of Last Supper before his debut and was rapt he did not disappoint on Sunday.
“He was very much ready for his debut and jumped very well,” said the four-time Singapore champion jockey.
“He did a fair bit of groundwork with (pre-trainer) Darrell Burnet in Australia before he came here, so he came in really good order.
“It’s a shame what’s happening here, but I love the horse. I’ve only ridden him a couple of times, so credit to James and his team who got him together nicely.
“He (Last Supper) did not put a foot wrong today and was very professional. He was looking at the markers and the winning post, so there’s more to come from him.”
While the heavyweight jockey did not have to shed weight to make the 57kgs on Last Supper, it was known that he struggled with weight issues until two months ago.
With a new health regime in place, Duric has managed to keep his riding weight of 55kgs in check, which also helped put him on more rides on race days.
“I’d have only one meal a day at dinner time. I’ve been eating mainly scrambled eggs and I cooked them using olive oil and butter,” he said.
“I do change up my meal a bit and I have my ‘skip day’ on some days, so I’d fast for 48 hours.
“But I stay hydrated and walk 15km a day. Also, with the HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) sessions I do and riding horses for trackwork, I went from 67 to 54kgs in eight weeks.
“My wife doesn’t want to cuddle me now because I’ve no fats (laughs)!”
Last Supper has earned his first pay cheque of over $40,000 for Peters after the win.
