Bristol Hercules flies high after rest

Bristol Hercules suffered a winless drought of almost two years, but a rest and a 'freshen up' did him the world of good. He bounced back with a lovely win on the straight 1400m at the Vaal on Thursday, racing under top weight.

Mat de Kock noted in his pre-race comments that Bristol Hercules and stablemate Buddy Boy were moving nicely after enjoying some time off and both confirmed that by cantering smoothly to the start - with Buddy Boy also running back strongly in fifth.

The field split in two - half of the runners went to the inside and the others stuck to the standside - and Callan Murray rode a well-judged race which called for perfect timing over the tricky course and distance.

Calan said: "He settled well and was able to get to the line strong. I liked the way he relaxed today because he can be fairly aggressive sometimes."

Mat commented: "It was nice to see Bristol Hercules win after 680 days between drinks. We needed patience and giving him a rest was the right thing to do. Thanks to Jayson and Preshalin Murugasa, who leave everything up to us. He was the soundest and happiest today he's been in a long time, and got the job done."

Bristol Hercules was bred by Eugene Freeman at Boland Stud. He is by Lancaster Bomber out of Pretty Wendy, by Dynasty.