The Melbourne Cup-winning stable of Tony and Calvin McEvoy has seen Ambassadorial transform into a star since arriving there, marked by his conquest of the Easter Cup (2000m) at Caulfield over the weekend.
This marked his third victory on the trot for the son of Fiorente, who claimed his richest prize as the $4 market elect with Logan Bates, the apprentice rider, in the irons.
Ambassadorial repelled the challenge of Sea What I See ($6) by 1½ lengths, with Immediacy ($17) only a short half-head back to secure third.
“A big thank-you to Anne Peacock and Jane Chapple-Hyam for sending us the horse and giving him the opportunity with us,” Tony McEvoy said.
“He’s been such a pleasure (to train). There will be no problem rehoming him as everyone in the stable just adores him.
“He’s such a gentleman and what a magnificent racing pattern he has.
“He’s gone from strength to strength.”
McEvoy joked that part of the gelding’s improvement had come from a change in approach.
“We’ve decided not to train him,” he said.
“We’re still charging training fees – I hope Jane didn’t hear that, but we’re keeping him really fresh.
“He’s a very light-fleshed, athletic horse and doesn’t require a lot and if you look at his CV, he has been with trainers that do train them, so we decided to make a change.”
The gelding, once under the care of Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott and later Alex Rae, has tallied three wins alongside two places across five appearances for McEvoy.
Next up, his backers aim to gauge his distance suitability via the Mornington Cup (2400m) set for April 18.
“He’s a gelding, he’s perfectly sound and he’s in rare form,” McEvoy said.
“What we need to know is whether he runs a mile-and-a-half. If he does that, it opens a brand-new chapter for him.”
A double for the McEvoy operation came when Rue De Royale landed the Geoff Murphy Handicap (1200m).
That could lead to an opportunity in the Goodwood (1200m) at Morphettville in the month ahead.
Monitor Ambassadorial’s staying campaign and check out online bookmakers for competitive Easter Cup betting options.