Charge Forward colt wins rich Inglis Banner

Charge Forward ‘s 2YO son Crack A Roadie opened Cox Plate day at Moonee Valley in great style by winning the $250,000 Inglis Banner over 1000 metres on debut.

Pictured: Crack A Roadie (pink colours) responds generously to Craig Williams’ urging at Moonee Valley today. (PHOTO: Sportpix)

Jockey Craig Williams settled the bay colt at the rear of the field and brought him wide through the turn. Crack A Roadie took a while to get balanced, and with 100 metres to go still had two lengths to make up, but make them up he did, in time to score by a short half head.

Arrowfield’s influence was also evident in all three horses behind Crack A Roadie: runner-up Diva Dee is from a Redoute’s Choice mare and third-placed Shamus Award is by Snitzel, while the fourth placegetter Direct Charge is also from Charge Forward’s 2010 crop.

Crack A Roadie, bred by Arrowfield in partnership with Planette Thoroughbred & Belford Productions, is trained by Stephen Theodore who purchased him for $40,000 from the Bellerive Stud draft at the 2012 Inglis Melbourne Premier Sale.

Stephen also trains the colt’s year-older full brother Road Trippin’, a Group 2-placed winner who has similarly returned six-figure prizemoney on the $22,500 paid for him at the 2011 Melbourne Sale.

Both colts are from the Flying Spur mare Road to Damascus, who has a yearling colt by Manhattan Rain, and visits All American this spring.

Craig Williams told Thoroughbred News after Crack A Roadie’s win, “Steve has put a lot of work into this horse and ever since….his first trial he got in touch with my agent Mark Guest and told us what he thought of the horse.

“He is very solid and he took a lot of riding but every time I asked him he responded really well.”

Crack A Roadie is raced by a group of owners including Scott Brown, Ken Fagan, Trent Murphy, Hit The Line Racing, and Frank & Shirley Welsford, who can now look forward to a possible Listed Race start at Flemington on 10 November.