A week is a long time in racing, but for the connections of Punch Lane they will be hoping it never ends after he delivered a Listed Glasshouse Handicap blitz at the Sunshine Coast on Saturday and landed a betting plunge in the process.
The gelding won at Benchmark 75 level eight days earlier on the same day before the meeting was abandoned due to heavy rain, giving trainers Anthony and Sam Freedman the opportunity to back him up in the $300,000 race, which was meant to be on the same day.
TAB offered as much as $15 earlier in the week for Punch Lane, but jumped a hot $2.50 favourite come race time.
Carrying the colours of the great Santa Ana Lane, Punch Lane lead all the way under jockey Kyle Wilson-Taylor, who was booked to ride another horse in the race last week, before nominations were taken again during the week.
“It’s funny how a week can change things,” he said.
“I had a different ride in the race last week, he didn’t go, this horse backed up and it was a great job by the team to get him here today, he was even better.
“I was worried, he was in a stinking mood and he dropped me behind the gates, he dragged me for 10m and I wasn’t letting go.”
With a satellite stable based at the Sunshine Coast over the winter, Punch Lane landed the father and son duo their first stakes victory of the carnival in the process.
“He had a good week, he pulled up well from last week, which they generally do on a wet track,” Anthony Freedman said.
“We did nothing with him and I was happy with him by Tuesday and was keen to come back for this race.
“As it turned out, it played out well for us because we wanted to run him in this race, he wouldn’t have gotten a run but.
“We went for the low road, he won and then it gets postponed and he was able to turn up here today and do it again.
“It has been a great prep and we will probably stop with him now and find something for him in the spring.”
Connections will now look to replicate the success of Santa Ana Lane, with Punch Lane set to be aimed at the Victorian spring carnival.
“They buy one or two horses a year for us, (Justin) Juzzy Bahen bought this horse and we have had some luck,” Freedman said.
“They have a nice horse by Too Darn Hot as well (Scorched Lane), but he hurt himself the other day.”
Originally published as Punch Lane lands plunge in Glasshouse Handicap after opening $15