WELL-BRED four-year-old Ichibansan can take another step out of the shadow of big brother Dalasan by winning the $102,250 Southern Speed Final (2040m) at Morphettville on Sunday.
The Leon Macdonald and Andrew Gluyas trained gelding is chasing a third win in succession and will carry the colours that Southern Speed sported to victory during her brilliant career which netted seven wins, a Caulfield Cup and more than $2.8m in prizemoney.
Ichibansan has been somewhat of a slow burn given his pedigree. Despite some eye-catching efforts in his three-year-old season finishing fourth in the Listed Port Adelaide Guinea sand Group 3 Chairman’s Stakes, it wasn’t until start 14 he was able to break his maiden status before a dominant Morphettville win last Friday night.
“We’ve been pulling our hair out a little bit with him,’’ jockey Jason Holder said.
“He’s a good little track worker but it’s taken him a while to work it out.
“He only just won at Murray Bridge but the other day he felt terrific in the run, and I was thinking it was going to take some pretty good to get near him,’’ he said.
And Holder said it may all be coming together at the right time.
“He really did show us the other day what he’s capable of and it could be a confidence thing for him,’’ Holder said.
“I think the penny is starting to drop to drop, and he felt terrific when I rode him this morning,’’ he said.
Ichibansan is marked a $3.40 favourite with tab.com.au ahead of Fighter who also backs up from a smart Gawler win last weekend.
