Saint sparks Derby dreams with Geelong Classic win
Earlier on the Geelong card, Saint Emilion (Snitzel) proved himself a burgeoning force for the in-form Ciaron Maher stable, and likely VRC Derby (Gr 1, 2500m) contender, after the colt took out the Geelong Classic (Listed, 2200m).
The son of Snitzel (Redoute’s Choice) had shed his maiden tag on his previous start when scoring at the third time of asking in a 1600-metre event at Goulburn earlier in the month, and followed that up with a first stakes victory in Wednesday’s $200,000 Listed contest.
It was an impressive ride from Mark Zahra, who settled the three-year-old in last place early on in the race. The pair maintained cover and began to pick their way through the ten-runner field approaching the final bend, and in the last 200 metres the colt unleashed a fine turn of foot to score by 1.8 lengths over Hot Too Go (Too Darn Hot) and Oxford Blue (Fiorente), who were split by just 0.06 lengths to take second and third respectively.
Maher enjoyed an unforgettable double when he took out both the Caulfield Cup (Gr 1, 2400m) with Duke De Sessa (Lope De Vega) and The Everest (Gr 1, 1200m) with Bella Nipotina (Pride Of Dubai) last Saturday, and has another major victory in his sights with Saint Emilion in the VRC Derby, a race he won in 2021 with the now Arrowfield Stud-based sire Hitotsu (Maurice) when training in partnership with David Eustace.
“With these races you can step up fairly quickly, as this horse has,” Maher told Racing.com post-race. “We might even go on to the Derby now.
“He just [needed] a bit of racing – I was just saying to the lads, Explosive Jack actually got beat at Goulburn before he won a couple of Derbies. This horse won.
“Hopefully the form can repeat. He’s still furnishing. It was a beautiful ride from Mark. He just let the speed go and you could see him building in confidence throughout the run.”
Bred by Westbury Stud, Saint Emilion (3 c Snitzel – Kylikwong by Red Ransom) was a $200,000 purchase for Dynamic Syndications and Dean Watt Bloodstock at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale in 2023.
Out of Red Ransom (Roberto) mare Kylikwong – herself a sister to multiple Group 1 winner Typhoon Tracey – Saint Emilion is a half–brother to nine winners, including ATC Christmas Cup (Listed, 2400m) victor Cantonese (Redoute’s Choice).
The colt became the latest of 150 stakes winners for his juggernaut sire, who stands at Arrowfield Stud for a fee of $247,500, unchanged from last season.