In The Congo produced a stellar front-running performance to upstage boom colt Anamoe and hand Gai Waterhouse her first Golden Rose on Saturday.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Jockey Tim Clark set a strong tempo at Rosehill aboard the son of Snitzel, who kicked strongly at the furlong marker and gave Godolphin stallion prospect Anamoe too much to chase in the closing stages.
For Waterhouse, who now trains in partnership with Adrian Bott, it marked a 146th career Group 1 winner but her first in the Golden Rose which had provided her with several frustrating near misses over the past two decades.
And the timing couldn't have been more perfect for connections, with several Everest slot holders still looking for a horse to represent them in next month's $15m feature. The $1.5m Coolmore Stud Stakes down the straight at Flemington also looks a potential target for In The Congo.
Anamoe jumped odds-on favourite, and did his Caulfield Guineas chances no harm despite the disappointment of not landing a second Group 1.
"I had a conversation with Gai on the way here and I said to her I'll roll to the first turn and might just try and get a breather - she said 'Don't you dare'," Clark said.
"She said you keep him running and use his speed because it can win you the race. So I did that and we pulled it off.
"It's a big thrill. We've always thought he had that sort of ability, he probably didn't execute early on in his career."
MORE CANBERRA SPORT
Bott said the horse's recovery from his Golden Rose win would determine his next move.
"We thought this was always a good form race going down to the Coolmore and it would be a good lead up for that. . .mindful he has been up for a while and he's kicked a big goal now," Bott said.
"We'll see how he comes through that now. It's a tough race today and expect him to bounce out well as he's that type of horse. We want to do the right thing by him."
Meanwhile, Zaaki enhanced his Cox Plate credentials at Sandown on Saturday by claiming an impressive Group 1 Underwood Stakes (1800m).
The seven-year-old jumped at near-Winx odds and was too strong for a game Probabeel.