Rough Habit Plate: Will Hulbert ends tough week on high after shock win by Criminal Defence at $101

Criminal Defence is Queensland Derby bound after the $101 chance caused a boilover against his more-fancied southern rivals to deliver young trainer Will Hulbert the biggest win of his career in the Group 3 Rough Habit Plate at Doomben on Saturday.

Hulbert – who trains in partnership with his father Peter – has not been afraid to voice his huge opinion of the three-year-old which has landed him in hot water at times.

He was recently fined $1000 by stewards for an expletive-laden rant about jockey Andrew Mallyon who rode the horse on the Sunshine Coast in January.

Appealing the fine, Hulbert said the voice message was leaked without his knowledge after it was sent privately to owners of the horse.

In the voice message, Hulbert blasts Mallyon as a “f—ing brain dead c— that will never f—ing sit on one of our horses ever again.”

There were no such issues on Saturday after Criminal Defence was given a gun ride by jockey Michael Rodd who positioned the gelding perfectly from barrier 11 before putting the writing on the wall shortly after the turn.

With the Habit Plate (2000m) the traditional lead-up to the Queensland Derby, Hulbert is now set to have one of the best chances in the prestigious race.

Criminal Defence took out the G3 Rough Habit Plate at huge odds!@bernadetecooper spoke with Will Hulbert after the race ? @HulbertRacingpic.twitter.com/9PyZauvbC6

Post-race, he was in shock, savouring the highlight of his short career to date.

“I can’t believe it. I told anyone that would listen that he’s a Derby horse so that’s where we’re going,” he said.

“I was surprised how easy he got over (from barrier 11), he just cruised over beautifully and switched off.

“He is not really bred to stay but he races like a stayer and looks like a stayer so we thought we’d have a crack.

Rodd – who returned from a stint in Singapore last year – was thrilled with the result, saying his long-term relationship with Hulbert made the victory even sweeter.

“I have known Will since I was a kid up here,” he said.

“We have been out and about and seen the best and the worse of each other so this is a real buzz.

“I have won races like this before and you don’t get the same feeling.

“I know how hard he works and since I have been back here, I have either won or placed on their horses.

“Him and his dad are really good trainers, it is a good buzz any time a Queensland horse wins over the carnival.”

Criminal Defence will now head towards the Queensland Derby after winning the Rough Habit Plate. Picture: Grant Peters/Trackside PhotographySource:Supplied

Having worked Criminal Defence earlier in the week, Rodd was quietly confident heading into Saturday but wanted to see him do it in race conditions.

“I galloped him here on Tuesday morning and I was really surprised with the way he worked,” he said.

“It’s the most relaxed he’s been and the blinkers came off. He just floated around and before the turn and I thought if he lives up to his work they won’t run him down and that’s what he did – changed legs and took off.”

Richard and Michael Freedman’s High Supremacy was backed into joint favouritism, but struggled to finish off the race.

Other fancies Senor Toba and Kukeracha rattled home but ultimately had too much to do at the top of the straight.

“I feel he is more of a miler, we will put the blinkers on him and go back to a mile,” jockey Nash Rawiller said of High Supremacy.

“He has a great turn of foot, the horse, but he has been finding himself vulnerable over the last hundred meters in his last couple of runs.”

Warning fires back to form

Victorian Derby winner Warning has bounced back into the winners’ circle for the first time in more than 18 months after storming home to win the Group 3 JRA Chairman’s Trophy at Doomben.

The four-year-old had struggled to back up his Derby-winning form of late, but a shift to the Sunshine State could prove the difference with connections declaring him “back on track”.

After running 12th in the Melbourne Cup last year, Warning resumed with a poor run in the Australian Cup in March before also flopping at handicap level on Anzac Day.

“We were scratching our heads going into the run because his run in the Australia Cup was very disappointing and he was left flat-footed the other day and he worked home nicely,” Anthony and Sam Freedman assistant trainer Brad Taylor said.

“It was the first time I had seen him since the other day and he looked fantastic, he had improved a lot and the warmer weather has done the trick.

“To get him back in the winners stall for the first time since the Derby is fantastic … We’re back on track.”

Warning’s (right) win in the JRA Chairman’s Trophy at Doomben was his first since the 2019 VRC Derby. Picture: Grant Peters/Trackside PhotographySource:Supplied

With So You Win grabbing The Candy Man 150m from home, James McDonald looked set for certain victory before Jim Byrne dropped on them from the extreme outside after making his run from second last.

“They kind of took me off the bridle at the three (furlong mark),” he said.

“I knew they’d sprint but I was preloaded to make sure that when they did sprint I had him ready but sure enough they didn’t.

“He just continually picked up and picked up, coming beyond that six-metre line, it is a little bit worse going so he didn’t really want to be there but he didn’t have much choice.”

There was some specking for Queensland fan favourite The Candy Man to score his first win since August last year and he gave backers a sight, racing well for third.

Owner Lucky Pippos said he was delighted with the run of the popular grey and said there had been some excuses for some of his recent runs.

Veteran trainer Barry Baldwin wasn’t on track after suffering a dizzy spell on Friday night but Pippos said he was recovering well and was in good spirits.

Originally published asPhone rant trainer stuns with $101 outsider

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