BOARDROOM FINALLY ON BOARD

Pricey son of Justify has been an enigma, but Le Grange never lost faith in the grey

- Michael Lee

Trainer Ricardo Le Grange was over the moon when Boardroom finally opened his account at his fifth start on April 21.

Four unplaced runs had left the South African handler scratching his head.

It was either the three-year-old son of 2018 American Triple Crown winner Justify was overrated or just a tricky puzzle to solve.

Le Grange persevered, threw a set of blinkers on, confident the Javiers' hard-earned A$200,000 (S$174,700) would eventually bring returns.

A first instalment of around $10,000 from a first win in the $20,000 Maiden (1,600m) may still look like a low yield but, to Le Grange, it was a first step in the right direction.

"A big thank you to Sandy and Karen Javier, who have been very patient with this horse," said Le Grange, who has already trained two Group winners for the Filipino owners, Bestseller and Ace Of Diamonds.

"I think the main issue I've had with this horse was the limited options for distance races.

"He's shown promise in his work, won his barrier trials, but was not putting it together in his races.

"You could see he was cantering up front while the whole field was off the bridle today. The engine is clearly there.