General News
16 November, 2020
The people's horse wins again
After winning the Cairns Cup and coming off a 79 day spell $600 super horse Paniagua came home all guns blazing on Sunday in the CCC QUAL/CUP OPEN Hcp in Cairns on Sunday.
The people's horse wins again
After winning the Cairns Cup and coming off a 79 day spell $600 super horse Paniagua came home all guns blazing on Sunday in the CCC QUAL/CUP OPEN Hcp in Cairns on Sunday.
The four-year-old bay gelding was bought by Mareeba Trainer Alex Malliff for only $600 and even though Paniagua was meant to race two weeks ago in Innisfail, Mr Malliff said Sunday was always the plan. “We scratched him in Innisfail because it would have been like racing on concrete”
“Today was always the plan and it was an awesome win, it’s the only way to describe it,” he said.
Alex said that even though the track was a soft 5, Paniagua missed the jump by about a length and a half and had a tough job ahead of him.
“He had to make up that ground around the outside and in the straight and won by a third of a length,” he said.
“The race was 1400 metres and I was absolutely wrapped; this horse is something special.”
Paniagua’s next race will be in Brisbane for the Country Cup Final on December 5.
“Bonnie Thompson rode him today (Sunday) and she is already booked to ride him in Brisbane,” he said.
For a horse that’s Alex Bought for $600, Paniagua has now won over $165,000 dollars.
“People that I have never met are coming up to me in the street and asking about him.”
On Sunday Paniagua started at $3.50 and shorted as the favourite into $2.30 at the jump.
