The Pendragon lands Horsham Cup
Former New Zealand galloper The Pendragon (NZ) (U S Navy Flag) returned to winning form for the first time in almost three years with a convincing victory in Sunday’s A$65,000 Horsham Cup.
The six-year-old carried topweight of 61kg to victory under a well-judged ride from Harry Coffey, ending a winless run dating back to December 2023.
Sent out a $2.80 favourite, The Pendragon enjoyed an economical run from barrier three, settling just behind the speed before finding clear running in the straight and drawing away from his rivals.
The victory was a welcome return to form for the Lindsay Park training partnership of Ben, Will and JD Hayes, who have taken over the preparation of the former Kiwi performer.
“It worked out really well when you draw nice gates (barrier three) and you’ve got the right horses in front of you, it makes it easy,” Coffey told Racing.com.
“I was sort of the fresh horse on the scene with a turn of foot and class runner and he was too good.”
Previously known simply as Pendragon during his New Zealand career, the son of U S Navy Flag was trained by the late Michael Moroney and Pam Gerard, showing considerable promise with a Group Two victory in December 2023.
He subsequently finished runner-up to outstanding filly Orchestral (NZ) (Savabeel) in the Karaka Millions 3YO (1600m) at Ellerslie before transferring to Moroney's Melbourne-based Ballymore Stables operation, where he was prepared in partnership with Glen Thompson.
The Pendragon later joined the Lindsay Park team, with Sunday's victory marking his first success on Australian soil.
His earlier New Zealand performances contributed to a rating of 88, which saw him allocated the 61kg topweight at Horsham.
The victory also provided Coffey with his first Horsham Cup success, having narrowly missed out in last year's edition aboard fellow New Zealand import Tikemyson (NZ) (Highly Recommended), who returned to winning form in Saturday's Avoca Cup.
