The Danny O'Brien-trained pair of Sovereign Award and Fabric were the first two out of the barriers and the first two home in Wednesday's Group II Catanach's Ladies' Day Vase (1600m) at Caulfield.
Jamie Kah waited until the last possible moment before asking Sovereign Award for the supreme effort. The daughter of Shamus Award found enough to defeat her stubborn stablemate Fabric Ocean Park) by a long-neck with a short-head back to the fast-finishing Chaillot (Testa Rossa) in third.
Bred by Golden Grove Stud Farm, Sovereign Award advances her record to seven wins and three seconds from 15 starts with earnings of $347,175.
“She’s really clicked with Jamie Kah. She has had two rides on her now for two wins,” O’Brien said.
“She has been a challenging mare, so credit to everyone at home that has persisted with her. You could have long odd that she ould be a stakes winner twelve months ago.
“She is from the first crop of Shamus Award who has had a fantastic Caulfield cup week with two stakes-winners last Saturday and another one today.
“We will think about it (the Empire Rose) or we will possibly go back to Moonee Valley (Tesio Stakes) on Saturday week. She does love The Valley. But she’s in a rare vein of form so we certainly won’t be turning her out.”
From the first crop of her Cox Plate winning sire, Sovereign Award is the best or two winners out of the 6-time winning Show a Heart mare Sovereign Charm whose dam Rollover (Flying Spur) is a half-sister to Listed winner Potential (Southern Appeal) and the stakes-placed Talk To Angels (Don’t Say Halo), the dam of stakes-winner Magic Heaven.
Sovereign Charm has a yearling colt by Shamus Award and was not covered last spring.
Sovereign Award becomes the ninth stakes-winner for Shamus Award (Snitzel) who had another promising winner on the card with the 3yo colt Embolism Embolism who is also trained by O’Brien.