Studs flipping out in $40 million bidding war for Trapeze Artist

A decision on the Gerald Ryan-trained three-year-old is expected to be made in the next week. Darley, Coolmore and Arrowfield, where Snitzel stands, are all believed to be interested.

Trapeze Artist notched the biggest win of his impressive career  in the group 1 sprint,  overpowering last year's Everest winner Redzel to finish two lengths clear, with the luckless In Her Time a further two lengths back in third.

Ryan's colt immediately firmed into second favourite for this year's Everest, but owner Bert Vieira said contesting that race was extremely unlikely given the fierce interest in the two-time group 1 winner.

"It depends what happens with the sale if we go to the Everest – someone might want to go there before we go to stud," Vieira said.

"All the big farms are on him. I'm going to the [Inglis] sales tomorrow and we will sit down and work out what we're going to do."

Saturday's win adds to a record that includes the group 1 Golden Rose, the Expressway Stakes and last year's Black Opal Stakes as a two-year-old.

"I had it at Inglis for sale. I put $350,000 on him. They only stopped at 300 – he has a little mark on the leg – so I said 'bring him home, I'll race him'," Vieira said.

"On the morning of [the Black Opal] I said 'Gerald, should I fly up' and he said 'nah, he'll come fifth or sixth'. We sat at home in our theatre watching the horse and next thing you know, bang, it won by six lengths.

"I said 'Gerald what happened there', and he said 'well, I didn't think it was that good'."

Redzel jumped best on Saturday and kicked clear in the straight before Trapeze Artist started tracking him down from the 300m.

He drew level in the final furlong and surged clear for a super impressive win in 1:08.29, knocking almost half a second off Black Caviar's race record set in the 25th and final salute of her career.

“I thought we were going to be strong. At the 200m, I was looking back for English and In Her Time, who were swooping like we were, but once we got momentum, he just keeps going strong," Ryan said.

"You get a fast-run race up front, I know he was covering ground but he seems to appreciate that as he gets into his action."

For Angland, Trapeze Artist's win provided an instant bounce back from his second placing on Ace High in the Australian Derby, where he unsuccessfuly challenged Levendi's win in the stewards room.

"He is only a three-year-old and he has just beaten probably our best sprinter in Australia, and that was exciting," Angland said.

"I was very deflated last race, but that’s racing and you bounce back.”