Debutant Best Of Bordeaux has outsped his highly-touted rivals in a Canonbury Stakes upset to give trainer Kacy Fogden her first black-type win.
Coolmore colt Great Barrier Reef was sent out a $1.95 favourite but was no match for the pacy Queenslander, who strode to the front for Sam Clipperton and extended his margin in the straight to win by 4-3/4 lengths.
Rakomelo ($6.50) did best of the chasers with Flashing Steel ($5.50) a half-length away third, ahead of Great Barrier Reef in fourth.
The Snitzel youngster was Fogden’s first winner in Sydney and her first at stakes level.
“That was a bit exciting. I was a little bit worried there for a little bit, I thought he might have been over-racing but he kept true to the task and stuck on nicely,” Fogden said.
“He travelled down to (Sydney trainer) Gerald (Ryan’s) last week and he has just settled in so well. He is quite a gentleman really, I was really pleased with him today.”
Fogden admitted she wasn’t sure how Best Of Bordeaux, a $425,000 yearling purchase raced by the Fung family of Aquis Farm fame and breeder Gerry Harvey, would line up against the Sydney youngsters but the $5 million Golden Slipper (1200m) is now a serious target.
The young trainer is still weighing up the best way to get there with the Skyline Stakes (1200m) at Randwick on February 26 a possibility.
Winning jockey Sam Clipperton said Best Of Bordeaux had a great attitude which would take him a long way.
“He has beaten a small field but a couple of those had nice form and he has won convincingly, so he can only improve and it will be interesting to see how much he does improve,” Clipperton said.
“Out of the barriers, I just had to go with him because the pace was quite pedestrian early and that’s why I could just let him stride.
“He is a nice horse with a good attitude.”
Waller was disappointed in the performance of Great Barrier Reef and said he would be spelled and given more time to mature.
Best Of Bordeaux, who had been $101 for the 2022 Golden Slipper, firmed into $15 with TAB fixed odds after Saturday’s triumph.