Lindsay Park’s search for the one-percenters paid off on Saturday when Tycoon Star delivered a commanding win in the Group 3 McNeil Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield.

Michael Dee elected to ride the colt on pace, and at $4.80, Tycoon Star responded with a decisive 1-¾ length victory over McGaw ($6), with Jimmy Recard ($4) third. It followed his close-up second in the Vain Stakes a fortnight earlier.

Ben Hayes said the colt had clearly benefitted from that first-up run. “The visors helped, but personally I think it was fitness,” Hayes said. “He loomed up last start to win and today, with that run under the belt, two weeks between runs, he was tough all-the-way through the line.”

Looking ahead, the stable has the Group 1 Coolmore Stud Stakes (1200m) at Flemington firmly on the radar. “He looks sharp and he’s already a winner down the straight,” Hayes said. “We’ve got lots of options… we could see him down the straight next start, but we’ll have a talk to the team.”

Dee admitted his tactics differed from the horse’s usual pattern. “He’s probably not best ridden the way I rode him, but it was the way it panned out,” he said. “I thought McGaw was able to get to the front quite comfortably and then I decided to give him that squeeze and end up outside him. He gave a good kick and that was the winning kick at the top of the straight.”

He added Tycoon Star was still improving. “He’s barely done anything wrong, apart from hanging in first-up and probably being a little bit fresh and peaking on his run… he’s going to improve again out of this.”