Champion Thoroughbreds | Champion Thoroughbreds News 62031 Hell To Pay Delivers Again With Gritty Canterbury Victory

Hell To Pay made his tenth career start count in fine style on Wednesday, grinding out a determined win in the Benchmark 72 Handicap over 1550m at Canterbury, notching up his second career victory and proving no issue for the rise in trip.

With the sting out of the track and a distance rise to test him, the 3YO Hellbent gelding looked right at home under a peach of a ride from 2kg-claiming apprentice Anna Roper. From gate six in a compact field of eight, Roper had the gelding parked nicely in third, just off a genuine tempo set by well-fancied pair Pink Shalala and Colophon.

Colophon folded sharply at the top of the lane, but Pink Shalala kept finding—until Hell To Pay loomed ominously at the 200m. Still raw but relentless, he kept grinding away to nab the leader and edge clear late, scoring by 0.55 lengths.

“He’s still green and doesn’t quite know how to put a race away,” Roper said post-race. “But there’s definitely more to come, which is exciting.”

That view was echoed by co-trainer Tom Charlton, who sees better company on the horizon. “He loves getting his toe into the ground, so a winter Saturday race looks ideal. We’ll look to get him in light and let him keep progressing.”

A model of consistency, Hell To Pay has only missed the placings once in ten starts and now boasts prizemoney of $266,334—a figure boosted by his Magic Millions Maiden win earlier this year.

Congratulations to the ownership group behind him: Yarraman Park Stud, Kingsport Investments, Sedgewyn, Mr D J Hines, Mr P Hines, Dunbar Family Racing, Mr J E Forker, Mr P C Barnett, Mr S J Brown, Mr J G Codner, Dream Team, Mrs D L Fisher, Mr T S Fisher, Mr C D Hands, and Mr W S Simpson. With his talent and tenacity, Hell To Pay may well give them plenty more to cheer about this winter.