[PHOTO: Western Racepix]
Playing God gelding Play With Desire opened his winning account when scoring a decisive win in the Hahn Super Dry 3.5 Maiden (1695m) at Bunbury on Thursday.
Backed from $2.90 into $2 favouritism, the four-year-old was sent straight to the lead by rider William Pike with the addition of blinkers for the first time and always travelled like the winner.
He skipped clear on straightening and responded well to Pike’s urgings over the final stages to defeat Sound The Charge ($5.50) by two lengths, with Super Queen ($11) a further two-and-a-half lengths away in third place.
Purchased for $14,000 as a yearling at the 2020 Mungrup Stud Dispersal Sale, Play With Desire is still lightly raced with only seven career starts to date and looks as though he stretch out over more ground.
The Pearce stable will saddle up six runners at Saturday’s Ascot meeting, highlighted by Black Fantasy and Let’s Galahvant in the $200,000 Group 3 R.J. Peters Stakes (1600m) on their quest to a start in the $1.5 million Group 1 Railway Stakes (1600m) a week later.