The most interesting race at Scottsville yesterday was the seventh, a strongly contested Pinnacle Stakes event over 1200m, and it was the Joey Ramsden-trained Brutal Force who justified his good pedigree and expensive sales prices by getting up late to beat one of the most talked about horses of the meeting, the Dennis Drier-trained Triptique.

Brutal Force, who is by Western Winter and is a full-brother to Red Ray, is a huge horse who has benefitted from gelding and he used his early speed to overcome his high draw before being delivered with a perfectly timed challenge under Anthony Delpech.

He is likely to be a factor in the big sprint races this season, considering Captain Of All and Alboran Sea are now retired.

The first race, a Maiden Plate for three-year-olds over 1200m, provided much interest for the purist due to a plethora of well-bred first-timers taking part. The Mike Miller-trained Warm White Night colt Executive Power was backed in from 9/1 to odds-on.

He has an elastic-like action and duly won impressively under Delpech by 3,5 lengths from the Dennis Drier-trained Dynasty colt New Hampshire, who improved from debut. Another of the eyecatchers in the race was the Sean Tarry-trained Liege, a Dynasty colt who is a half-brother to the useful sons of Jet Master, Lance and Lockheed Jetstar. Liege was unplaced but was staying on nicely from a high draw and is one to follow over further.

Ian Sturgeon was the other jockey on the day to ride a double.

By David Thiselton

Picture: Brutal Force (Liesl King)