Linebacker scores Group One win

Linebacker winning Saturday’s A$1 million Gr.1 The Agency Randwick Guineas (1600m). Photo: bradleyphotos.com.au

Haunui Farm graduate Linebacker captured the Gr.1 Randwick Guineas (1600m) on Saturday.

Linebacker became Super Seth’s first Australian winner and first stakes winner last season, romping home by four lengths on debut at Hawkesbury last February and adding the Gr.3 Baillieu Handicap (1400m) at his second start.

He went on to finish second in the Gr.1 Champagne Stakes (1600m), then returned as a three-year-old with a fourth in the Gr.2 Run To The Rose (1200m), sixth in the Gr.1 Golden Rose (1400m), second in the Gr.2 Eskimo Prince Stakes (1200m) and sixth in the Gr.2 Hobartville Stakes (1400m).

Trainers John O’Shea and Tom Charlton and jockey Zac Lloyd brought the very best out of Linebacker in Saturday’s Randwick Guineas. After jumping sharply and initially finding himself in the lead, Lloyd eased back and slotted Linebacker into second behind the tearaway leader Tenbury Wells.

Linebacker cruised past Tenbury Wells at the top of the straight and dashed clear, turning back the challenge of hot favourite Broadsiding to win by half a length.

It was a perfect result for Lloyd, who rode Broadsiding in his last start but was replaced by James McDonald for Saturday’s big race.

“It was obviously a big privilege to ride Broadsiding last start, but Linebacker today, it’s not a bad exchange,” Lloyd said. “It panned out perfectly. I just wanted to work with Linebacker, not against him.

“He broke well and he had a nice bunny in Tenbury Wells. His asset is his big long stride, and he sustained his gallop nicely.

“My pre-race strategy was to get both Broadsiding and Swiftfalcon uncomfortable, because I feel Linebacker is a superior miler, and if we left it to a sit and sprint, they’re probably sharper than him.

“He got to me at about the 200m, and I thought it was a bit sooner than I would have liked, but when he got to about a neck, my bloke held him quite comfortably the last 100m. It was a very good effort and I’m super pleased for both John and Tom.”

Linebacker became the first Group One winner for the O’Shea/Charlton partnership.

“I know the tally of crossbar hits we’ve had in Group Ones over the last few years, so it’s great,” Charlton said.

“This horse has pleased us all the way since we gelded him. You could see a long way out that he was in a really good rhythm today. They were going at a high speed, but he looked comfortable.

“He’s always been a very talented horse. Last run, I just was convinced it wasn’t his true running. He just got in a better position today and it worked out well.”

Bred by GSA Bloodstock, Linebacker was purchased out of Haunui Farm’s draft at New Zealand Bloodstock’s National Yearling Sale for $160,000 by O’Shea and Suman Hedge Bloodstock.

He is a son of the English-bred Oasis Dream mare Garden Of Swans, who is a half-sister to the Gr.1 Sandown Eclipse Stakes (2000m) winner and sire Mukhadram. -NZ Racing News