By Glenn Davis
Talented three-year-old Hang earned a Brisbane winter carnival campaign with a gutsy win at Doomben on Saturday.
Hang dug deep into his reserves to score by a half head over the fast finishing Don’t Leave Me Out in the QTIS Three-Year-Old Handicap (1350m).
Great Powers fought on strongly to fill the minor placing, a further 2-3/4 lengths away.
Trainer Ben Currie, who attended the Dalby meeting on Saturday, has always had a big opinion of Hang but the colt needed to prove a few things to warrant pressing ahead towards the winter.
Hang was having his first start since completing a hat-trick of wins at Ipswich in October.
Currie was hopeful Hang would be hard to beat and was never worried by the rain-affected track as Hang is a son of noted-wet track sire, Clang.
Hang’s win was his fourth in succession from only six starts and took his prizemoney tally to $86,000.
Currie’s decision to engage apprentice Michael Murphy proved the difference between winning and losing as his three kilogram claim reduced Hang’s weight to 56kgs.
Hang is owned and bred by Kim McCasker who won the 1999 Group 1 Doomben 10,000 with the Michael Nolan-trained Laurie’s Lottery.
Currie is hoping Hang will make a Group 1 Queensland Derby horse in June and will aim him at the major lead-up races.
Earlier Chris Munce was a notable absentee from the meeting and missed the win of Constantine in the Class Six Plate (1600m).
Ridden by Matt McGillivray, Constantine showed he could be up to better races with a 1-1/4 length win over Bred For Luck.
Munce has rarely missed a day at the races since taking out his trainers’ license a few years ago.
His son, Corey, deputised for the former champion rider.
Racing Queensland webnews March 10