Hi Stranger springs an Echuca Cup surprise

Mar 7, 2021

HI STRANGER might not have been immediately recognised by locals before the $100,000 Moama Bowling Club Echuca Cup — but after he smashed a quality open class field yesterday no-one will make that mistake again.

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The four-year-old gelding was given the perfect run by jockey William Pike, who settled him midfield for much of the 1400 m race.

Then he simply let him go in the straight and the heavily-backed, Shane Fliedner-trained horse simply took off, leaving this classy field, jaws hanging, watching him race away.

What had been billed as a showdown between Hi Stranger and the red-hot favourite Regardsmaree was over the second the starter let them go.

Regardsmaree had won its three previous starts — all in town — and looked to have the perfect springboard to land one of the more prestigious and sought-after country cups.

That was until the seven-year-old gelding all but fell out of its gate, in slow motion, and by the time jockey Rhys McLeod had him straightened up he was a country mile behind and the race was effectively over.

Speaking post-race, Fliedner agreed this had been an emotional win for him.

The master of understatement, he described the race as “really good” and added “naturally any horse you have that goes all right can become your favourite, but this fellow’s a ripper of a little horse”.

“He just needed those first-up runs to find some fitness and form — we put him into a Group 2 race and he did okay — and the other day there had been no speed in the race, so we were today (confident) on our way here and it has all worked out really well,” Fliedner said.

“The goal this time in for him has been $150,000 bet365 Golden Mile at Bendigo (to be run there on March 27) so we will head there next.

“He’s only had the one run at 1600 m, that was at Moonee Valley and he won that too, so onwards and upwards with him.

“And it was great to be able to get William Pike on him for the occasion.”

Pike said the horse’s runs had been good, and he rode him at his last start up the straight at Flemington at the end of February and called it “a very sound race”.

He said it certainly left him with the feeling the horse would be pretty hard to beat in a run such as the Echuca Cup.

“Although when I did see the horse Rhys (MacLeod) would be riding, and checked out his history and recent runs, it certainly dented our confidence.

“But after it was all said and done, what was there to worry about?” he said with a laugh.

Swan Hill jockey Harry Coffey was the other star of the day, landing a treble at the meeting.