Darby Racing Win Canberra Cup

The powerful Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott stable tasted success in the nation's capital on Sunday when taking out the $200,000 Listed Canberra Cup with Dark Eyes, a $68,000 Magic Millions National Yearling Sale purchase for Darby Racing from the draft of Widden Stud.

A four year-old gelding by Snitzel, Dark Eyes (image Steve Hart) has been racing consistently this preparation and was a good fourth in the Listed ATC Parramatta Cup before posting a commanding last start win at Randwick over 2000 metres under 59 kg.

He appreciated the weight drop to 54 kg for his Canberra Cup assignment and gave everything he had for Tim Clark to score a tenacious win.

"Dark Eyes did not give in, he just kept coming and coming," said stable representative Neil Paine.

"Once a Gai and Adrian horse hits the front they are very hard to get past."

Dark Eyes has won seven of 17 starts earning in excess of $362,000 in prizemoney for his large team of happy owners.

The 55^th stakes-winner for Snitzel, and his third this weekend, Dark Eyes is the first winner for winning Gulch mare Cinnamon Dove (USA), a half-sister to US Group II winner Walkslikeaduck.

Cinnamon Dove produced a colt last spring by Rothesay and was subsequently covered by Brazen Beau.

Dark Eyes is the second Snitzel stakes-winner this weekend sold by Widden Stud as Group III ATC Aspiration Quality winner Elle Lou was also purchased from the Widden draft at the Magic Millions National Yearling Sale in 2013 for $70,000. Read about her here.