Yearning delivered Arrowfield Stud an upset win in Wednesday's $1m Thousand Guineas, storming home from last at Caulfield for team Hawkes to turn the tables on Elusive Express.
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The pair finished in reverse order 11 days earlier in the Group 2 Edward Manifold Stakes (1610m) at Flemington, but there was no beating home the prized Hawkes filly on this occasion as she stamped herself an incredibly valuable future broodmare.
Jockey Damien Thornton settled at the rear, and waited patiently to swing wide at the top of the straight before giving Yearning full rein.
Her rattling finish was befitting of her top-drawer pedigree, as a filly by Arrowfield sire Snitzel out of New Zealand mare Rising Romance, who was a Caulfield Cup in 2014.
"It's good for those expensive horses to actually win, there's a lot of owners out there that buy the top end and a lot of the top end ones don't actually make the grade," co-trainer Wayne Hawkes told Racing.com.
"It was a good ride. Zouzarella was obviously one of the ones to beat, we jumped well but we were back last, but he didn't panic and to be fair a lot of them would've panicked.
"He said you really rate this filly, I said she's a good filly she's got a great chance she's not just a ride. He bided his time and put Zouzarella back in its pocket at the top of the straight and the rest is obviously history.
"We just wanted to see how she'd run today, her run was really good the other day she got held up, held up and then she let rip.
"She's done now, whatever she does here on in is just a bonus for all the owners, it's game set and match. It's a good position to be in."
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Earlier on, progressive Edward Cummings stayer Duais upstaged the well-fancied Floating Artist to book her place in Saturday's $5m Caulfield Cup (2400m).
The four-year-old ground past third-placed Floating Artist to win the Group 3 Coongy Cup (2000m) with Wentwood splitting the pair as runner-up.
Jockey Michael Dee expected Duais would be a live chance in the Caulfield Cup.
"She pulled up very well then, I don't think she'd blow a candle out at the minute so she's very fit and seems to have pulled up well so we'll go in three days time," Dee told Racing.com.
"If she draws wide she'll probably just take her usual pattern and most definitely [be] in the second half of the field. Like you saw then she's got a great turn of foot. She makes my job pretty easy she's pretty adaptable and she doesn't pull as she travels nice on the bridle.
"It's a huge thrill. Providing she comes through the run really well it's pretty exciting."
James Buckley
James is a Queanbeyan boy enjoying his second stint at the Canberra Times, more than eight years on from his first. In between he's traveled the world, and spent time covering sport in Sydney.
James is a Queanbeyan boy enjoying his second stint at the Canberra Times, more than eight years on from his first. In between he's traveled the world, and spent time covering sport in Sydney.
