TEAM VIGOUROUX'S EXPECTATION NOT UNREAL

MONDAY: July 21, 2025: UNREAL Expectation’s breakthrough at Bathurst today was special for a number of reasons.

And not only because the lightly-raced three-year-old hoisted husband and wife trainers Phil and Tara Vigouroux back into the winning list for the first time in ten and a half months.

It’s been a frustrating season for Team Vigouroux, but the couple has learned to take such dry runs on the chin.

“We have only eight horses in work, and haven’t had a lot of runners,” Tara Vigouroux said this evening.

“A number of our older horses (including city winner Itzfallingdown) have retired.

“But we keep doing everything right with our horses, and looking after them.

“We know that the tide will eventually turn and it did today.

“What was especially pleasing was that we put a few people into Unreal Expectation when we leased him, and some of them have had horses with us before and never had a placegetter.

“They stuck solid and it was so good to see them get a nice result.”

Having only his third start, Unreal Expectation ($6), ridden by Kody Nestor, led home a Hawkesbury trifecta in the Maiden Plate (1400m).

The gelded son of 2016 Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap winner Under The Louvre ran home gamely to defeat Garry Frazer’s Metal Magic ($6) and Kevin May’s Emelia’s Magic ($11).

There was further Hawkesbury involvement as apprentice Poppie Gorton, indentured to leading trainer Brad Widdup, was having her first ride in a race on Emelia’s Magic.

Unreal Expectation was bred by Sue Milson and Dale Sheirs and was nominated for the 2023 Magic Millions National yearling sale at the Gold Coast, but was withdrawn.

Thanks to a friend, Team Vigouroux was able to secure him to train.

“Phil was out at Dunedoo picking up hay, and decided to have a look at Unreal Expectation when we were told his owners were keen to lease him.

“He was really pleased with what he saw, and so we were able to negotiate a lease.”

Unreal Expectation had been placed on Canberra’s synthetic track on June 20 and July 4 over 1080m and 1280m respectively, and appreciated stepping up to the same distance at which his sire landed Brisbane’s feature sprint nine years ago.

Nestor had him away well and settled him in fourth spot with front-runner Daisuki rolling along at a decent clip.

Though he gave Daisuki and Metal Magic a decent start entering the straight, he sustained a determined burst to get there in the last few bounds.