SUNDAY: March 23, 2025: BLAKE Ryan isn’t one to put false wraps on his horses.
So when the Hawkesbury trainer says one has definite upside, it’s time to take notice.
That horse is Strawberry Impact, who broke through at Kembla Grange yesterday when having only his third start.
Perhaps the quality of his opposition may not be top drawer, but it was how he won the Maiden Plate (1400m) against his own sex that stood him out as one to follow.
Ridden by Chad Lever, Strawberry Impact ($2.25 favorite) trounced his rivals, scoring by more than three lengths from Patissier ($6) and Not So Common ($2.70).
“Chad said Strawberry Impact’s back end went from under him at the start and he slipped,” Ryan said today.
“After that and being bumped by another runner, he settled a clear last.
“Chad didn’t panic, he is riding in career-best form, and made his run near the inside in the straight where there was plenty of room.
“In the circumstances, Strawberry Impact did a terrific job, and definitely has upside.”
Ryan gained his second win of the week – Able Yellow broke through on his home track last Tuesday – to take his season’s number to nine, putting him second only to leading trainer Brad Widdup.
With just over four months of the current racing year remaining, he is keen to better last season’s benchmark 13 winners.
Ryan also accepted with the three-year-old son of Pierata at Goulburn today, but opted for Kembla Grange with a happy outcome.
A $100,000 Inglis Australian Easter yearling sale purchase in 2023, Strawberry Impact is owned by Hong Kong-based Magus Equine Limited.
He did not race as a two-year-old and made his debut when fifth in a 1200m Midway Maiden at Newcastle on February 15.
Strawberry Impact then ran second to Golden Loom at Kembla Grange in another Midway Maiden, but over 1500m, on March 4 before breaking through yesterday.
Ryan thinks enough of Strawberry Impact’s potential to consider throwing him in the deep end during The Championships at Royal Randwick in the $200,000 Listed South Pacific Classic (1400m) for three-year-olds on April 12.
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