BEFORE Amanda Turnbull hopped in the gig behind Sabrage at the Bathurst Paceway on Wednesday, her father-trainer Steve Turnbull told her that she would like the three-year-old.
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She soon discovered why.
The Mach Three x Motoring Clare gelding posted a comfortable win in the Gold Crown 32 Foal Nominations Due 5 Aug Pace (1,730 metres).
Chasing his second win at Bathurst in as many weeks, Sabrage showed gate speed to cross from barrier seven and take the lead.
Turnbull was abler to pinch easy sectionals of 30.8 and 30.4 seconds once finding the lead as things unfolded perfectly for the $1.40 favourite.
With a lap to travel, stablemate Our Emancipation sat on Sabrage’s outside a length off the pace, with Wrangler third on the leader’s back and Victree Vendetta one out and one back.
On balancing in the home straight Sabrage led by two lengths, and he continued to pull away from his rivals to win by 5½m over His A Tease ($22.70, Nathan Turnbull) with a half neck further back to Wrangler Duke ($14.80, Trent Rue) in third.
Sabrage peeled off a 28.3 final sectional to clock a 1:58.0 winning mile rate.
“Yeah, it’s my first drive on him and I like him too. They said I’d like him when I hopped on him,” Turnbull said of the The Lagoon trained gelding.
“That [his gate speed] surprised me. Dad didn’t tell me much about him, but he come out and crossed them pretty easy.”
The win took Sabrage’s record to four wins from seven starts this season.