In a thrilling display of determination, Shock ‘Em Ova, the New Zealand-bred five-year-old, elevated his promising career to a new level with a remarkable victory at Caulfield, Victoria.
The talented gelding entered the race with an impressive track record of two wins and three second-place finishes in just six starts. His most recent outing was a notable second-place finish at Sandown on August 30, marking his return to racing after a break.
Despite being the hot favorite, Shock ‘Em Ova faced an uncertain start when he hesitated at the gates, leaving him at the rear of the pack as they approached the home straight.
However, under the skilled guidance of jockey Craig Williams, this son of Shocking unleashed a burst of speed on the outside and surged past his ten competitors, securing a convincing victory.
His finishing time of 1:36.70 not only secured the win but also set a new class record, surpassing the previous mark of 1:36.91 set by Seb Song on Memsie Stakes Day earlier in the month.
Craig Williams, who has been closely associated with Shock ‘Em Ova throughout his preparation, shared his thoughts on the performance:
“His attitude is still not perfect, but he was much better today. The race mapped out to suit him, but he still had to do the running when the chips were down in the straight.
“He was a very effective racehorse today. I'm very pleased for him, and I think he'll take good confidence from the win.”
With this victory, Shock ‘Em Ova has now accumulated A$186,850 in stakes, a testament to the hard work and dedication of Cranbourne trainer Alex Rae, who also has a share in the ownership of this talented gelding.
Rae emphasized the importance of getting Shock ‘Em Ova to race properly and highlighted the significance of riding him quietly.
As they plan to increase his distance in future races, Rae is optimistic about the horse's potential, saying, “He still has quite a low rating, so he'll just continue to go through the grades for now. He's still working things out a little bit.
“He's a bit of a bozo, really. Hopefully, he'll continue winning and continue to toughen up, and then we can target better races as he gets older and stronger.”
Looking ahead to the autumn, Rae believes that Shock ‘Em Ova may shine even brighter at higher levels of competition.
“When you keep winning races, it forces your hand to step up and run in better races a bit more quickly,” he noted.
“But there's plenty of prize-money around this spring for us to pick our way through the grades.
“Hopefully, come the autumn, his rating will be high enough that we can target something really nice.”