Brave Get A Pepsi lands Labour Day Trophy

GET A PEPSI hounded Jamaica St Leger winner THALITA off-the-break, pointed approaching the half-mile and bravely battled in the stretch run for a well-deserved victory in yesterday’s Labour Day Trophy at seven furlongs.

Vastly improved since breaking into the overnight-allowance ranks last August, five-year-old GET A PEPSI first earned his stripes by easily beating non-winners-of-an-overnight-allowance on April 28.

Reporting with topweight 126lb, GET A PEPSI showed the pace he had used to chase home last year’s 1000 Guineas winner, MAMMA MIA, on March 30, to keep her stablemate, THALITA, honest from the get-go.

Breaking smartly from post-position five with Paul Francis, hunting a two-timer after earlier going gate-to-wire aboard PHOENIX RISEN in the seventh, GET A PEPSI bravely tackled THALITA, who reported with sparkling exercise form but had an eight-month lay-up over her head.

Francis kicked on GET A PEPSI a half-mile out with Tevin Foster pushing THALITA along the rail to keep pace. THALITA appeared strong off the turn but GET A PEPSI’s race fitness kicked in, digging in to quicken in a six-furlong split of 1:12.1 a furlong out, leaving the filly winded inside the final half-furlong.

Pulling off to win by a length and quarter in 1:26.2, GET A PEPSI’s race-fitness trumped THALITA’s class as she surrendered second place to 5-1 chance SISTREN TREASURE closing fast from off the pace.

Foster rode a four-timer on the nine-race card, moving to 56, 10 clear of Raddesh Roman, whose only win was astride Anthony Nunes’ debutant, WARSAW, who outbattled 3-5 favourite CAPTAIN FANTASTIC in the sixth at five furlongs straight.

Foster’s four-timer started in the second with a battling win astride BRENDA’S BOY in the second to outfinish ROCK-OLA, followed by United States-bred GRECIAN LIGHT, chasing down stablemate KEM in the third at seven furlongs.

Foster returned to steal the fifth from in front with Ryan Darby’s DON ALMIGHTY, blunting ROCKET LILY on the lead, before rousing KING’S CROWN along the rail in the eighth to overhaul stablemate POPE’S LADY in the eighth at five and a half furlongs.

Racing continues on Saturday with a nine-race programme.