At the end of a gruelling 2800 metres at Kyneton races on Friday, four runners went over the line almost together.
Victory in the BM58 Handicap went to $7 chance Castrofrancaru, having had just one race start since finishing eighth at Mount Gambier on September 11 last year. Two weeks earlier he had won a 3600m Hurdle at Ballarat.
The difference between winning and losing at Kyneton was probably the 4kg claim by promising apprentice Emily Posman, which reduced the five-year-old’s weight to 57.5kg.
The 24-year-old Poznan needs one more winner to cut her claim to 3kg.
This was Castrofrancaru’s fifth race win from 16 starts, for stakes approaching $118,000.
The winner is trained at Pakenham by Mitchell Leek.
Second place went to topweight and favourite Savvy Valentino, with Clever third and Luckus Plutus fourth, just 0.7 lengths behind the winner.
Friday’s meeting was the last for Kyneton and Hanging Rock Racing Club in the 2022-2023 season.
– by Bill West
