Trainer Rod Craig always loves coming back to his former home of Canterbury and on Wednesday he had extra reason to be happy celebrating a winning treble.Craig was the last Canterbury-based trainer to prepare a Group One winner from the track when Lady Eclipse won the 1983 Champagne Stakes.Fittingly, it was old warrior Clevergaze who brought up Craig's winning treble on Wednesday with his fighting win over Valens in the Hyland Race Colours Handicap (1200m).Clevergaze is by the Craig-trained, eig
Trainer Rod Craig always loves coming back to his former home of Canterbury and on Wednesday he had extra reason to be happy celebrating a winning treble.
Craig was the last Canterbury-based trainer to prepare a Group One winner from the track when Lady Eclipse won the 1983 Champagne Stakes.
Fittingly, it was old warrior Clevergaze who brought up Craig's winning treble on Wednesday with his fighting win over Valens in the Hyland Race Colours Handicap (1200m).
Clevergaze is by the Craig-trained, eight-time Group One winner Intergaze who raced with distinction between 1995 and 2000.
Craig, who is now based at Warwick Farm and has 20 horses in work, took four runners to Canterbury with Kiss Of The Dragon the only one not to run a place.
But even he managed a cheque finishing fourth to Maxim in the Sydney Vintage Show Handicap (1900m).
Earlier, stablemate Solatus scored his first win at his seventh start when he claimed the Spring Racing Carnival Maiden Plate (1550m) while Velocity Gal won the opening race of the day the www.theraces.com.au Hcp (1550m).
"I trained here for a long time before I moved to Warwick Farm in the late 1980s and it's wonderful to be able to come back here and do this," Craig said.
"This is my old stomping ground and I love coming back here."
Clevergaze was having his 60th start and five of his eight wins have been at the inner city track.
The eight-year-old started at $5.50 and was travelling third on the fence with Nash Rawiller aboard.
Rawiller sat patiently behind the leaders before taking a split between horses and Clevergaze gave it everything he had in the closing stages to score.
"That's what makes racing, honest horses that keep on going around. They stay fit and they keep on racing. They may not win all the time but they keep the place going," Craig said.
"He's a marvellous old horse, if you have a look at the legs on him, he's been an old champ.
"He has one leg that looks like it's been added on....it's at 45 degrees."
Chris Lee, who was a part-owner and breeder of Intergaze, also bred Clevergaze.
Velocity Gal has now won two races from 21 starts with both of her wins coming at Canterbury.
Jim Cassidy produced a quality ride on Velocity Gal who settled third on the fence while Seattle Brave set the speed with The Fangsta second to his outside while Anchor Bolt was parked three-wide in third spot.
Cassidy manoeuvred to the inside of Seattle Brave halfway down the straight and Velocity Gal soon took control of the race and kicked well enough to hold out the gallant Anchor Bolt by a neck with The Fangsta a short head away third.