MONDAY: July 22, 2024: JAMES Ponsonby’s move to Hawkesbury just over 12 months ago has been well and truly vindicated.
The former harness racing trainer/driver didn’t waste time posting his first win as a provincial throughbred trainer just after setting up shop when successful with Tour Of Duty at Bathurst on June 6 last year.
Fast forward to a new season, and Ponsonby’s victory with Semper Fortis at Wagga today was his 15th in 2023-24, almost doubling last season’s tally.
“It’s been a terrific season,” he said as he headed home – and with a few options on the table for former Victorian Semper Fortis, who took the Riverina Cup Prelude, which was a Benchmark 72 Handicap run over 2000m on a very testing track.
A rails-hugging ride by Jason Lyon paved the way for the Tavistock five-year-old to defeat $2.50 favorite Knights Armour; a fact Ponsonby quickly acknowledged.
“Jason saved three lengths on the turn, and that made the difference for sure,” he said.
“Semper Fortis didn’t handle the heavy ground as we thought he might, but his racing manners are so much better and with Jason’s ride, his class got him home.”
The only surprising part about the gelding’s win his $6 starting price. Forgetting his unplaced midweek run at Warwick Farm on July 8, he had won a Benchmark 64 Handicap (1600m) at Kembla Grange on May 28 before being narrowly beaten by Holstein (who ran in last week’s Listed Grafton Cup) over 1900m at Canterbury on June 10.
“I was a bit disappointed with Semper Fortis at Warwick Farm, but he had done well since and this race came up,” Ponsonby said.
“We’ve got three options where to go with him next and obviously much will depend on the gelding’s progress and what suits best.”
Semper Fortis became exempt from ballot for the Riverina Cup (2500m) at Wagga on August 11, and his trainer says he isn’t worried about tackling that distance because of the gelding’s racing style.
There is also a Benchmark 72 Handicap (2200m) at Warwick Farm on the last day of the season (July 31), and the Ken Howard Showcase Cup (2000m) at the Coffs Harbour Cup meeting on August 2.
Ponsonby has a good guide on the Coffs Harbour event should he decide to head north, as his only runner to date at the Northern Rivers track was Socrates, who made the running when fourth to Roller Coaster in last year’s Ken Howard Cup.
Ponsonby paid $12,000 online for Semper Fortis online through Inglis in October, 2022 and has now won four races with the rising six-year-old.
His victory with Semper Fortis edged him to one shy of a career half century of winners.
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