Bathurst Gold Crown Carnival: Michael Munro qualifies Take Out for the Gold Crown Final

On Friday night at the Bathurst Paceway, Munro's $12 outsider Take Out fought his way into the lead down the home straight to win his 1,730 metres heat of the Gold Crown series.

It means the Well Said x Rigaleto Franco gelding will be amongst the field come this Saturday night's $100,000 Group 1 final.

It's not the first time Munro has qualified for one of the carnival's two-year-old features, but as he puts it, "it's been years and years" since he last raced for a coveted trophy.

"I had a filly in the Gold Tiara Final in 1997, but that would be the last time I was in a final," Munro said.

"She ran fourth in the final and then she broke down."

The filly with which he contested the 1997 series for two-year-old fillies was called Barberry Jewel. She won her heat as a 9/10 favourite, placed fourth in her semi-final then in the finale, Munro's 12/1 chance ran a 10 metres fourth to Sheza Fake.

As the trainer indicated, Barberry Jewel's career ended shortly after.

In 2014 Munro drove Peter Bullock's Smack Dab Shannon to victory in the Gold Chalice Consolation, while in 2019 he won the Gold Bracelet Consolation with his $61 outsider The Girls Have It.

But now Munro finally has another shot with a promising two-year-old to find Gold Crown Carnival glory.

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Take Out had three starts prior to his Gold Crown heat, twice finishing as a runner-up at Bathurst - once by just a head - and placing third at Dubbo.

Munro saw enough in those runs to think Take Out was a chance of making this year's Gold Crown Final, but a barrier six draw for Saturday's heat had him nervous.

"Yeah I was nervous, you don't want to balls it up with those good ones. I have done that before but I was hoping it wouldn't do it tonight," he admitted.

"Look I always thought the horse had the ability to get through, but the draw didn't sort of work out like I'd have liked it to. I hadn't worked out how tough he is yet so I prefer to drive him with a sit and it didn't look like we'd be able to do that."

But Munro need not have worried.

He worked Take Out three wide early to settle third in the running line behind Ournorthernmeteor and Our George Boston. He did not have to face the breeze for long as shortly after the bell sounded, Baxter Red rolled up into the death, seeing Munro's chance shuffled into the one-one.

The pace had not been hot over the first half of the last mile with splits of 30.4 and 32.2, but the tempo picked up down the back straight. That worked in Munro's favour.

Into the final bend he guided Take Out three wide and on balancing the gelding showed a good turn of foot. He went on to win by 2.1m over Baxter Red ($3).

"He did that pretty easy, he had a beautiful run and that's the type of run that he likes," Munro said.

"The faster they go, the better he likes it and I know he can sprint like all hell.

"I knew that at some stage he'd be in the death seat, but I was glad when he got a bit of cover. It gave him a bit of a breather up the back and you know, he loved it.

"He's a lovely horse, we've just got to draw a [good] barrier now. That's what we need, a barrier and a bit of luck and we're in it."

The barrier draw for Saturday's Group 1, $100,000 Gold Crown Final will be held on Monday night.

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