Joe Pride’s durable gelding Headley Grange is in the form of his life, scoring his fifth win of the campaign in Saturday’s $1.5 million Alan Brown Stakes (1400m) at Rosehill.

Sent out at $10, the son of Exosphere defied a horror barrier to unleash a powerful sprint under Adam Hyeronimus, defeating favourite Gringotts ($3.30) by half a length with General Salute ($8.50) close behind in third.

“It’s pretty amazing — he’s done an incredible job this horse over the last six months,” Pride said. “Beating a Group 1 winner like Gringotts is no small feat. He’s bombproof.”

Hyeronimus has been aboard for six of the gelding’s 11 career victories and said the horse has thrived since stepping into stakes grade. “He just keeps improving,” he said. “Joe’s done a great job — we’ve used every run as a stepping stone and he just delivers every time.”

Pride confirmed the The Big Dance (1600m) at Randwick on Melbourne Cup day as the next target. “It’s the natural progression,” he said. “He’s handling the weights and the mile will suit him perfectly.”

With his Alan Brown triumph, Headley Grange — who has now won 11 of 22 starts — was elevated to $4 favouritism for The Big Dance.

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