[PHOTO: Western Racepix]
Pearce Racing brought up its 80th winner of the 2022/23 season courtesy of a winning double at Belmont on Saturday when Fear The Wind and Outspoken Lad took out their respective races.
Fiorente five-year-old Fear The Wind continued his exceptional form when scoring his fifth-consecutive victory in the feature event of the day, the $100,000 Rogan Josh Stakes (2200m), with William Pike aboard.
Starting the $2.30 favourite, the gelding was forced to do the bullocking work carting the field up behind tearaway leader Holy Enchantment ($6), however, his tenacity to win was on full show as he dug deep to hit the front and then fend off the fast-finishing Sluice Box ($10) by a nose.
Fellow Pearce-trained Queen Alina ($2.70) finished a further three-quarter-length away in third place.
Fear The Wind has made a rapid progression in a breakout 11-start campaign which has netted six wins and taken his rating from a lowly 62 to 86 and suddenly places him among the leading contenders for the newly-boosted $1 million Group 2 Perth Cup (2400m) at Ascot on January 1.
Saturday’s feature race victory takes his career record to 21 starts for seven wins, three minor placings and $280,108 in total earnings.
Meanwhile, Awesome Rock gelding Outspoken Lad ($3.70) relished a step up to a mile at his third run back from a spell earlier in the day when scoring a convincing win in the TABtouch – Westspeed Platinum Handicap (1600m).
The four-year-old enjoyed the run of the race positioned behind the pacemakers by jockey Clint Johnston-Porter before muscling his way into the clear turning for home and racing straight past the leader.
The big bay pulled away to defeat Flash Ducati ($5.50) by two lengths on the line, with Dad’s Bigheaded ($21) a further half-length away in third.
Outspoken Lad is a staying type who should continue to improve as the distances increase and has now had 17 career starts for three wins, four minor placings and $191,885 in stake and Westspeed Platinum earnings.
The 80 wins prepared by Pearce Racing so far this season puts them in second place in WA’s overall leaderboard and smashes the stable’s previous best of 60 with five weeks of the season still remaining.