Cortez the Conqueror

The history books tell us that Hernando Cortez was a Spaniard who conquered Mexico and wiped out the Aztecs. His equine namesake emulated that achievement by lifting the laurels at the Sydney Derby and wiping out a few reputations in the process.

As expected Lex Luthor set out to make every post a winning one and soon had a number of the runners in trouble. Skills In Magic was unable to go with the early pace and was 18 lengths adrift at halfway, he could never land a blow from that position. Former rivals Good To Be King and Creepshow were able to sit a little closer and were within striking distance if good enough. Of the pair Good To Be King showed the more stamina passing Creepshow in the final quarter but was unable to make up enough ground quickly enough. It was Cortez, a horse that possesses enough speed to win a Grade 1 at a mile, who was able to go with those punishing early fractions set by Lex Luthor. When you felt his stamina would give way with 2 furlongs to run, he instead set about tackling the leader. Cortez passed Lex with a furlong to run and powered away for a 2.5 length victory.

The finishing time was just a touch slower than Sunnybank Memorial’s 11 length romp and almost a second slower than Horseshoe Bay’s impressive win last year. He still has work to do to be compared to those two legends.

The win has catapulted Cortez to the top of the rankings for 3yo turf marathoners and increased his prize-money haul to almost 1.5 million. No doubt we will be seeing him in the top 12 furlong races this year and owner slipknot22 would even have the option of dropping him down in trip if necessary. Cortez, the perfect blend of speed and stamina!