New Zealand-bred seven-year-old Sir Galahad has been plagued by injury and was having on his 22nd start in a race when he lined up as the $2 favourite for the 2130m Mondo Doro Smallgoods Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
The Washington VC gelding repaid champion trainer Gary Hall Snr for his patience and care when Gary Hall Jnr drove him to a thrilling victory by a head over his fast-finishing stablemate Nota Bene Denario ($20), with a half-head to $6 chance Rabchenko in third place.
Sir Galahad, having his second start after a spell, raced in fifth position, in the one-out, one-back position, before starting a three-wide move approaching the bell when the polemarker and $4 second favourite Tiffany Rose bowling along in front.
Sir Galahad took the lead with 550m to travel, and he had to be driven out to survive in a three-way photo finish. Nota Bene Denario, driven by Maddison Brown, impressed in surging home from eighth and last at the bell to fall narrowly.
“Sir Galahad has had a lot of problems,” said Hall Snr. “He paddles out and slices through his pastern all the time.”
Sir Galahad, out of the unraced Falcon Seelster mare Dromsally, boasts a 50 per cent winning record, having had 22 starts for 11 wins and six placings for stakes of 102,365.
by Ken Casellas