Duke Atreides has broken through for his maiden victory at Sandown after a smart decision by the Annabel and Rob Archibald stable to send him south in search of better conditions.
The colt took out the Quayclean Plate (1200m) on a soft 5 surface that was later upgraded to a good 4. Ethan Brown guided the $11 chance to a 1-Âľ length win ahead of favourite Algorithmic ($2.50), with Fastosa ($3.50) a further three-quarters of a length behind in third.
Archibald is now considering a tilt at the Group 3 H D F McNeil Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield later this month.
“Ethan says he’s got quite a bit of quality and will stretch out in trip,” Archibald said.
“He’s a colt and he’s going to have to keep progressing, which I think he will.”
The colt is a half-brother to Group performer Best Of Bordeaux, who placed in the Golden Slipper and won on wet tracks, providing confidence in his versatility.
“He’s always been a horse that has shown plenty, but we were trying to dodge the wet tracks up in Sydney,” Archibald added.
Brown noted the colt’s professionalism stood out in Melbourne conditions.
“He’s got a lot of race smarts, and once he found the fence, he switched off beautifully and had a very easy time,” Brown said.
“I was impressed with the way he quickened up and he was strong through the line.”
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