Aero Star glitters in Lotto Classic

AERO STAR (Charles Hussey) winning yesterday's Lotto Classic at Caymanas Park.

OAKS winner AERO STAR easily defied topweight of 57.0kg at Caymanas Park yesterday with an emphatic victory in the $1.5 million Lotto Classic for the Governor's Cup over 2000 metres, this confined to native bred three-year-olds.

Installed a 2-1 second favourite with three-time champion jockey Charles Hussey riding in the white and royal blue silks of his mother Ruth and brother Percy, the trainer, AERO STAR stormed through a furlong out to win by 2 1/4 lengths from the 2000 Guineas third HALLELUJAH (Percy Williams up) with the 2000 Guineas runner-up RESTLESS WARRIOR, a 4-5 favourite under Panamanian jockey Roger Moore, finishing a farther 2 3/4 lengths third in the field of 13.

Having beaten the colts in so convincing a manner, AERO STAR has established herself a ready-made favourite for the June 10 Red Stripe Derby in which her main rival must surely be the Track Price Plus 2000 Guineas hero I'MSATISFIED, who elected to bypass the Lotto Classic owing to what trainer Philip Feanny said was the "unfavourable" conditions of weight allotment which would have seen his charge toting topweight of 57.0kg and allowing 2.0kg to the filly AERO STAR in the process.

I'MSATISFIED will instead have his Derby prep on Tuesday (Labour Day) in a Starter Handicap I and II for three-year-olds and up over 1600 metres.

Nothing, however, can detract from the smashing performance of AERO STAR, who thus became the second consecutive filly to win the Lotto Classic following the front running GOOD PROSPECT last year. Significantly, GOOD PROSPECT lost the 1000 Guineas like AERO STAR, but made amends by winning the Oaks, Derby and St. Leger. AERO STAR seems destined to follow in her hoofsteps.

Held up in midfield as the fleet-footed outsider DIRECTIONAL SIGN made most from HALLELUJAH, HERCULES and the winner's lesser fancied stable-companion PREDECESSOR under leading all-time jockey Winston Griffiths, AERO STAR took closer orders to straighten just off the pace in fourth.

At this stage, the Feanny-trained HALLELUJAH had already taken over the lead from stable-companion DIRECTIONAL SIGN leaving the half mile. He turned back a strong challenge from the Wayne DaCosta-trained RESTLESS WARRIOR approaching the distance, but proved no match for AERO STAR who stormed through just inside the last furlong to win pulling a bus. The winner is a bay filly by Dixie Dancer out of For My Jet, bred by the Orange Valley Estates Limited.

An elated Charlie Hussey said: "Everything depended on riding stragedy today. Unlike the Oaks she could not go the early pace with so many light horses present, so I held her up in traffic and started my winning run approaching the final bend. When I asked her the final question leaving the quarter pole, she responded in a flash and I knew it was all over".

Later in the afternoon, the Husseys capped a memorable day when they struck with 8-5 favourite SILVER STREAK in the closing straight five race. The three-year-old gelding by Slick Trick out of Geisha Girl, who like AERO STAR is bred by Orange Valley, just held on to win by a short head from GALLANTRY in the 16-strong field.

Hussey was one of four jockeys to ride two winners on the Go For Gold 12-race programme.

The others were Anthony Baker who won aboard 80-1 outsider PIRATE QUEEN in the fourth and 9-2 chance, the Feanny-trained RHYTHM OF MY HEART in the valuable Lotto Sprint Trophy over 1100 metres for 'A1' horses; Griffiths (MUTUAL AGREEMENT, CAPTAIN COMEBACK) and former champion Percy Williams who won aboard AINTREE (13-1) and the two-year-old debutant MEZZALUNA (5-2) for Feanny.

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