Champion Victorian trainer Darren Weir famously won a Melbourne Cup with a son of Rich Hill Stud's evergreen stallion Pentire (GB) and he looks to have another fine staying prospect in Volatile Mix who captured Saturday's $600,000 Group I UBET South Australian Derby (2500m) at Morphettville.
It was the second year in a row that Weir has teamed up with jockey John Allen to win the classic after Howard Be The Name in 2016.
Settled back in midfield, Volatile Mix moved into a striking position on the home turn.
He looked set for a comfortable win but found a willing opponent in the Domesday colt Ruthven who fell a half-length short on the line. The favourite Odeon was one and a quarter lengths back in third.
A homebred for Graham and Linda Huddy, Volatile Mix advances his record to 3 wins and 2 seconds from 9 starts with earnings of $423,750.
The pedigree of Volatile Mix is chockful of staying blood.
His twice winning, stakes-placed, dam Utopia is a daughter of High Chaparral (IRE) out of the Zabeel mare Joie de Vivre who is a 5-time winning sister to the Group I Zabeel Classic and Group I Auckland Cup winner Bazelle.
Third dam Show Games is a sister to the outstanding filly Toy Show who numbered a Golden Slipper, Newmarket Handicap, AJC Sires Produce Stakes and One Thousand Guineas amongst her seven stakes wins.
Utopia has a weanling colt by I Am Invincible and was covered by Dream Ahead (IRE) last spring.
Volatile Mix becomes the 48th stakes winner for Pentire (GB) the sire of Weir's 2015 Melbourne Cup winner Prince Of Penzance.
It was the third South Australian Derby winner for Pentire (GB) after Pantani (2002) and Zarita (2008).
