A big payday for the Darren Weir-trained Perpetual Crisis, the second least expensive of the 16 runners in Saturday's $250,000 Inglis Dash (1100m) at Flemington.
Ridden by Damian Lane the 3yo son of Stryker made his run back inside the leaders down the straight to defeat the most expensive runner, the $300,000 I Am Invincible gelding Ebenos by a half-neck with $80,000 purchase Land Of Plenty another long neck away third.(photo Grant Courtney).
"He gave me a great finish," Lane said.
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"To his credit, once I got a bit of cover, he switched off and I held off as long as I could and I really didn't want to go back to the inside.
"They just generally don't finish off that well doing that in straight races but I pulled him over and he finished the strongest obviously.
"Hopefully with that win under his belt, he can go on to better things."
Weir said the result was unexpected.
"We thought he ran well first up without a lot of luck and I said to the owners, 'this race is worth good prizemoney', but I didn't think this would happen," Weir said.
"It's a nice result for all involved and obviously the horse is going better than I thought he was."
Weir gave all the credit to stable manager Jeremy Rogers for picking out Perpetual Crisis at the 2015 Inglis VOBIS Gold yearling sale.
A $20,000 purchase by his trainer from the Oakford Thoroughbred Farm draft, Perpetual Crisis (pictured as a yearling) advances his record to 3 wins and 2 thirds from 9 starts with earnings of $228,200.
He is the first foal of the unraced One Cool Cat (USA) mare Leica Gossip whose dam Leica Virgin (Danehill) is a three-quarter sister to Group[ II Sandown Guineas winner Moon Dragon and Listed winner Dansino, out of the Group I Australasian Oaks winner Leica Smile (At Talaq).
Leica Gossip has a yearling colt Lucas Cranach (GER) and a colt foal by Skilled. She was bred back to Toronado (IRE) last spring.
Three Bridges Thoroughbreds stallion Stryker has three lots on offer at the Inglis Premier Yearling sale.