Form jockey Nash Rawiller believes High Supremacy (NZ) (Savabeel) can go on with the job after resuming with an impressive first-up win at Randwick.
Rawiller only returned to the saddle earlier this month after suffering a displaced fracture to his foot in a race day mishap in August and he has been quick to make up for lost time.
The top hoop was in heady form at Saturday’s George Main Stakes meeting where he took riding honours with four winners.
After opening his account on Kiss The Bride (NZ) (Savabeel), he added a victory aboard High Supremacy before snaring a feature race double courtesy of Four Moves Ahead (Snitzel) in the Gr. 2 Tea Rose Stakes (1400m) and Eduardo (Host) in the Gr.2 Shorts (1100m).
Rawiller believes the lightly-raced High Supremacy can continue to progress through the grades this spring after his confidence-boosting win.
The gelding showed promise during his three-year-old season with black-type placings in the Gr. 3 Spring Stakes (1600m) at Newcastle, Listed Canberra Guineas (1400m) and the Gr. 3 Frank Packer Plate (2000m), but he had been unable to put a win on the board since landing his maiden on debut.
Now a four-year-old, High Supremacy showed a good turn of foot to dash through a late gap and claim Saturday’s The Agency Handicap (1400m) in a performance Rawiller says augurs well for his future.
“He’s a nice horse on his day that horse, don’t underestimate him,” Rawiller said.
“He’s shown us a bit, but that’s the first time he’s put it together and it was exciting the way he did it.”
High Supremacy was having his first start since finishing sixth in the Gr. 3 Rough Habit Plate (2000m) at Doomben in May.
Co-trainer Richard Freedman said despite testing the horse over a middle-distance last preparation, he believed High Supremacy would make his mark as a sprinter-miler.
“I think that’s what he is, a run-on 1400 (metre) to mile horse,” Freedman said.
“He gives you the impression he’ll go further because he does that (runs on), but I don’t think he does (run a trip).”
Rawiller’s quartet of winners took his season tally of metropolitan victories to eight and puts him in fourth place on the Sydney jockeys’ premiership. –
