Chinqui’s return to the winner’s stall at Caulfield Heath was fuelled by a sizeable weight advantage and conditions firmly in his favour.
With Luke Cartwright’s 2kg claim factored in, Chinqui received 8.5kg from odds-on pick Beast Mode in the Sportsbet More Place Handicap.
The advantage told late, with Chinqui ($8) outstaying the favourite to score by a short neck, while Codigo ($8) finished the same margin away in third.
Anthony and Sam Freedman assistant James Peters said the stable had dismissed Chinqui’s last run on rain-affected ground during the Melbourne Cup Carnival.
“He didn’t go a yard on that heavy track, so he had a brief freshen up,” Peters said.
“He trialled really well the other day and we were confident as on-pace seems to be the place today and he was from an inside draw.
“We also got a great lead off the favourite and he pinned the ears and really chased hard.
“We had that eight kilos weight swing in our favour, and we wanted to make that horse feel a bit of early pressure by not wanting to hand up straight away.
“He was going pretty quick and Luke used his brain, sat off him, got a lovely cart into the race and with the guts the horse showed, he really wanted to chase that other horse down.”
Beast Mode was forced to expend energy early to find the lead under Craig Williams but appeared to be travelling comfortably as the field straightened.
Over the concluding stages, though, Chinqui surged alongside and nabbed victory close to the line.
“It was pretty textbook what Beast Mode does,” Cartwright said.
“I was hoping to get him to do a little bit to get across and I knew from the 600 (metres) that he gets on his bike himself.
“But I was able to suck up on his back and peel out, however, to be honest I didn’t think I was going to reel him in until the last 100 metres.
“But with the light weight, he just let rip late.”
Cartwright also found the winner’s circle earlier aboard Roadcone in the Magic Millions Digital Online Handicap (1500m).
Caulfield Heath betting analysis and race replays are available through the Australian betting sites list.
