Burridge breaks frustrating run with double

Craig Brennan
Sunday, February 08, 2009

A frustrating run of outs was ended in the best possible fashion for trainer Stephen Burridge when he led in a double at Kranji on Sunday.

Happy Everybody took the $75,000 Class 3 Stakes over 1200m before Graduate Boy led throughout in the $55,000 Class 4 Stakes over 1400m.

Prior to Sunday’s double, Burridge had recorded just the one solitary winner for the season – Happy Everybody on January 9.

“It good to have a change of luck,” said Burridge after Graduate Boy’s success.

Graduate Boy (Taib Affandi) gives Stephen Burridge the second leg of a winning double.

“I’ve been enduring a frustrating run with the team. Admittedly I’ve had a lot coming through of late and they haven’t been quite ready, but I had a chance on Friday night and it just got nutted.”

Happy Everybody has been a model of consistency for the Burridge stable. Ridden by apprentice Aidal Feiruz, Happy Everybody scored by a half-length over Lago Bay (John Powell) with Al Nader (Oscar Chavez) two-and-a-quarter lengths away third.

“He’s had something like 30 runs in about 18 months and just keeps going,” said Burridge. “I thought I’d take advantage of a 4kg claimer and hopefully pinch a slightly stronger race with him.”

Burridge said the secret to Graduate Boy’s success was him dropping back to Class 4 grade.

Ridden by stable apprentice Taib Affandi, Graduate Boy held-on to score by a half-length over Rooy (Dan Beasley) with Recycle King (Michael Cahill) two lengths away third.

“He’s not a Class 3 horse and he was suited back in this grade,” said Burridge. “He’s not a big horse but he tries his heart out.”

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