[PHOTO: Western Racepix]
Climb On Top and Zing To Win landed a cross-meeting double for Pearce Racing on Melbourne Cup day on Tuesday when winning at Ascot and Bunbury respectively.
Both having their seconds start back from a spell, Climb On Top ($3.70) put the writing on the wall with an eye-catching fourth placing first-up at Ascot on October 28 before finishing powerfully to take out the TABtouch – Have You Got The Touch Handicap (1400m) on Tuesday.
Ridden by Clint Johnston-Porter, the Demerit gelding settled one-out and two-back in running before peeling out to be the widest runner turning for home and letting down with a brilliant finish to defeat race-favourite Captain Pluto ($2.50) by a long neck.
Forever Dreaming ($6) finished a further three-quarter length away in third place.
Bred and part-owned by Oakland Park, Climb On Top has now won three of six his career starts with earnings totaling $91,280 including Westspeed Platinum bonuses.
Only 20 minutes later Zing To Win brought up his first career victory when leading all-the-way in the Trevor Roche Memorial Maiden (1116m) at Bunbury.
Ridden by Lucy Fiore, the Shooting To Win three-year-old trialled up very nicely at Lark Hill on October 11 before drawing barrier 11 first up at Northam and getting posted four-wide without cover throughout running.
The gelding made full use of barrier 11 in Tuesday’s second-up assignment when bouncing straight to the lead and giving a strong kick on straightening to defeat More Than Enuff ($6.50) by more than two lengths, with Nitronic ($12) a further long-neck away in third.
Raced by Lightning Bloodstock and a large cohort of owners, Zing To Win was purchased for $47,500 at the 2022 Perth Magic Millions yearling sale and had been plagued by shin soreness at his first couple of preparations but appears to have a bright future ahead.
The Pearce stable will saddle-up Hezangelic, King Of France and Who Be Whatee at Thursday’s Northam meeting.