After the most patient of rides to win the Guineas, Spratt employed daring frontrunning tactics aboard Cambridge galloper Gobstopper.
Though those tactics were not entirely up to her.
Gobstopper was keen to run in Saturday’s 3200m group 3 feature and Spratt saw no point in arguing with the 7yr-old.
That left the Andrew Campbell-trained galloper freewheeling in front by seven lengths down the back straight.
Though the rest of the pack had caught Gobstopper by the 800m mark, it did not mean he was finished.
"He got into his rhythm and when they came up to us he kicked again; it was a brilliant run," Spratt said.
The favourite, Pentathlon, issued his challenge at the top of the straight but never looked like running down the winner, who was so strong at the finish he went away to win by three and a-half lengths.
"He could have gone around again," Spratt said.
Gobstopper’s win came via Campbell’s pinpoint lead-up to the $250,000 race. The trainer, who has recently moved from Opaki to Cambridge, took a European-style approach by not lining up Gobstobber in more than a month leading into the New Zealand Cup.
"We decided to target this race right from the time he came back in. He’s a lightly framed horse so he doesn’t need much racing.
"He’s only going to get better with time, like his brother, Werther."
The Campbell-trained Werther went on to become a star in Hong Kong. He raced at Sha Tin last night, winning the $HK4 million group 2 Bochk Jockey Club Cup.
Though the running of the New Zealand Cup meant the glamour events of Canterbury’s week of harness and thoroughbred race programme were over, it did not mean the drama was. In the next event on the Riccarton card, a starter’s assistant was still in front of the starting barriers when the field was released.
Miraculously, he avoided being trampled in the incident after being caught in front of Sir Ed’s No3 barrier. He escaped between Sir Ed, ridden by Corey Campbell, and the eventual race winner, Pendleton, ridden by Opie Bosson.
"He got out of the way pretty quick, but it could have been a lot worse," Campbell said.
Stewards have opened and adjourned an inquiry into the incident.
