GOING TO PRESS

Group One winning juvenile, Pressday, was stepping out in stakes company – American style – for the first time yesterday and acquitted himself well with a strong third in the Joe Hernandez Handicap over six and a half furlongs (1300m) on the downhill turf track at Santa Anita.

Pressday didn’t break brilliantly (despite the race call), but was soon tracking the leaders and appeared to settle well on the rail.

Unfortunately, like his first run in North America on 9 February, he got on the wrong leg on the bend – particularly where the dirt track crosses – and was unsettled turning for home.

However, champion jockey Mike Smith balanced him up and, while he took a while to hit top gear, Pressday continues to impress. Certainly on yesterday’s run he looks set to step up to a mile.

Pressday won the Champagne Classic-G2 over 1200m at Doomben as a 2YO, but was at his most impressive over longer journeys, taking out the QTC Sires’ Produce-G2 (1400m) and TJ Smith Classic-G1 (1600m) before capturing the Sandown Guineas-G2 (1600m) at three.

Adding merit to today’s Santa Anita performance was that he only finished 1.75 lengths behind eventual winner, Mr Gruff, who is a very good turf horse in the States and a genuine sprinter.
Pressday will stand at Eliza Park upon his retirement from racing.

Click here to view the race.

Pressday working at Santa Anita earlier in the week