Premier jockey James McDonald grabbed his fourth stakes win on Royal Randwick’s undercard with Generosity lunging late to deny Marhoona in a breathtaking Group 2 $500,000 Challenge Stakes (1000m) on Saturday.
The high-class weight-for-age contest brimmed with incident, starting with backed hotpot Raging Force going wrong at the jump and withdrawn by Tommy Berry before the bend.
Elsewhere, battle-hardened Mazu injected pace from the front, shadowed by Marhoona and Generosity, with 2022 The Everest champ Giga Kick detached in the pack.
McDonald’s tactical nous ultimately decided it, swinging off Marhoona entering the straight to collar the ex-Golden Slipper winner precisely on the post.
McDonald said all three placegetters “fought it out really well”.
“Take nothing away from the second horse (Marhoona), I didn’t think I was going to get there, she’s a very good filly in her own right,” McDonald said.
“Generosity looked great in the parade ring and although I wasn’t intending to be there early, she jumped so well.
“Then she presented like the winner and jogged up to them. She’s a bonny little mare.
“Chris (Waller, trainer) was pretty confident before the race and you always get so much confidence when you get legged onto his horses because they’re primed and ready to go.
“She’s Group 2 placed (3rd in The Shorts) from memory but The Galaxy down in the weights is the perfect race for her.”
The desperate finish had Generosity ($10) home by a short half head on Marhoona ($9.50) and Mazu ($8.50) a head back for show honours.
Generosity negotiated the 1000m in 56.63s, her final 600m split of 32.59s proving decisive in thwarting any late charge from behind.
Giga Kick ($3.20) flew home to grab fourth, missing by 1.5 lengths.
A potential rematch awaits the leading trio in Group 1 $1 million The Galaxy (1100m) at Rosehill Gardens March 21, as Giga Kick plots a path to the Group 1 $3 million TJ Smith Stakes (1200m) on Royal Randwick April 4.
This success followed McDonald’s earlier hauls on Pinito (Group 3 Aspiration Quality), Beadman (Listed Fireball Stakes) and Chayan (Group 2 Reisling Stakes).
Chris Waller, the Hall of Fame mentor, tuned Generosity via three barrier trials for the Challenge Stakes, deviating from his norm.
“Generosity needed to be fit and fresh to win this race,” Waller said.
“I didn’t lose faith in this mare, she’s got very good form in Perth and she’s a talented mare
“She was ready to go a month ago and then we thought, where are we going to run her?
“We know she is good fresh and we couldn’t find the right race so we put her on the treadmill for a week.
“Then we gave her a third trial as she had to be very fit and fresh for this race. She is a lovely horse to worth with, she is mentally mature now.
“So, we will go to The Galaxy on our home track at Rosehill now and could even look at the Sangster Stakes in Adelaide.”
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