Cloudland proved a handful for James McDonald at Flemington, but the champion jockey was in a forgiving mood after they had claimed top honours in the Subzero Handicap on the Melbourne Cup undercard.
The Gerry Harvey-bred son of resident Westbury Stud stallion Swiss Ace downed his fellow greys in the 1400 metre event after giving McDonald a hard time before barrier rise.
“He’s a quirky bugger and he was pretty hard work going down to the gates,” he said.
“He tried to buck me off, which I wasn’t pleased about this early in the carnival, but I managed to stay on.”
The Kris Lees-trained Cloudland was all business once the gates opened and showed early speed from a wide gate to enjoy a soft run in third spot away from the fence.
The six-year-old ambled to the front 300 metres from home and held a strong gallop to win by three-quarters of a length.
The well-travelled Cloudland has been a five-time winner in New South Wales and his Flemington victory came off the back of two placings during a three-start Queensland campaign.
“It looked the right race for him, so it’s a really pleasing result,” stable representative Cameron Swan said.
“He can be a bit erratic and did wander around a bit, but he is very consistent and Kris has placed him really well.”
Cloudland was purchased by OTI Racing after winning a trial on the all-weather track at Cambridge for trainers Shaune Ritchie and Colm Murray.
He is out of the stakes performed Congrats mare Commiserate, who is from the family of the Group 2 winners Sarson Trail, Arinosa, Sweet Sherry and her daughter Eneeza.
Trainers Roger James and Robert Wellwood went to $240,000 to secure Cloudland half-sister by Tarzino, since named Honor Mission, at New Zealand Bloodstock’s National Yearling Sale in 2023.
Earlier this year at Karaka, Ontrack Thoroughbreds secured another half-sister by Tarzino for $140,000 and Commiserate is again due to foal to Westbury’s dual Group 1-winning son of Tavistock.
