Reverberates is a ‘goosebump’ horse.

The type of horse content to sit off the pace before erupting with a withering run … just as she did at Ballarat on Christmas Eve and just as she did at Sandown on Wednesday (14 January).

It was pure theatre at Sandown: seemingly caught in an impossible position and likely to finish closer to the clerk of the course than the winner, this 3YO daughter of Clangalang peeled off a truly memorable burst of speed and power.

Trainer, David ‘Butch’ Bourne was left a little nonplussed after the race, probably thankful to be upright after such a heart stopping finish. Butch has been around horses for a long time and knows when he’s got a good one.

He’s looking to find the filly something longer than the 1400m at Sandown and “something harder” – and he wasn’t talking about the state of the track!

The only one, it seems, who kept his adrenalin in check was Champion Jockey Damien Oliver: “It was a really nice win. She was held up, but once I eased her across their heels, the ones in front weren’t really going anywhere and she had them covered a long way out”.

Bred and retained to race by the OTI group – which includes former top cricketer Simon O’Donnell and Terry Henderson – Reverberates hails from the first crop of Eliza Park’s multiple Group One winner, Clangalang.

OTI has enjoyed an amazing run of late with Annenkov winning a Listed race on Cup Day and Bauer going within a whisker of actually winning the Cup.

And it might be a while before Reverberates attains such lofty standards, but where there’s smoke, there’s fire.

Her sire Clangalang knows all about creating history, having won the AJC Derby before becoming the first horse to follow up the Classic with an Epsom Handicap-G1 victory.

Retiring to Eliza Park in spring of 2004 at a fee of $6,600, Clangalang has only had limited representation, but seems hell bent on making them count.

With only 16 runners to date, Reverberates has been joined in the winners’ circle by another metrop winner in Bavarian Belle and the Noel Mayfield-Smith trained Hemony, but tellingly, 12 of the 16 have earnt a cheque.

Almost assuredly, with his oldest progeny just three year olds, they will improve with age and distance.

To view a video of Reverberates victory at Sandown, click here.

While all at Eliza Park cheered home Reverberates at Sandown, it was interesting to note that Victoria’s leading stud had an ‘association’ with every runner in the race! Placegetters Little Antics (by Planchet) and Lilian Evelyn (by General Nediym) are by stallions that previously stood at Eliza Park, as did Distant Music, sire of the fourth horse, Distant Harmony.

Bella Regale (5th) had a half brother foal down at Eliza last spring, while Lefebvre’s (6th) dam, Chloe’s Revenge, was covered by Danbird in 2008. Meanwhile, Cover Charge (7th) is also by General Nediym, while Cecilia’s (8th) dam Mere Royaume slipped to Black Hawk in 2007.

Photograph courtesy of Slickpix