The three-year-old Xtravagant gelding Devoted kept his record at a perfect two for two for his new trainer Michael Grantham with a dominant performance in Saturday's Listed Raconteur Stakes (1400m) at Belmont Park.
Given a peach of a ride by C Johnston-Porter, Devoted eased out three-wide on the turn and quickly put the race to bed. Under a minimum of urging, Devoted defeated the Awesome Rock colt Rokanori by three-quarter of a length, with the Blackfriars gelding Black Fantasy a further half-length back in third.
Devoted was among a batch of Peters Investment horses sent to Grantham from the Grant Williams stable.
He won a maiden at Northam at his first start and entered his new stable of a third in the Group II WA Guineas in November behind Peters Investments homebred Treasured Star (Toronado).
The son of Xtravagant made a winning debut for Grantham with a two and a half-length romp over 1400m at Belmont on May 14.
Devoted is the best of three foals from as many to race from the 6-time winning Anabaa (USA) mare Morning Mist.
Second-dam Flaming Heart has been a grand producer for Peters.
The winner of the Group III Thoroughbred Club Stakes on Caulfield Guineas Day 1996 and Listed The Great Western on the day Saintly won the Melbourne Cup, Flaming Heart had ten winners from as many to race.
Group II Perth Cup winner and Dato' Tan Chin Nam Stakes runner-up Real Love (Desert War) led the way. Then there were the Group III Asian Beau Stakes winners Heart Starter (Domesday) and Suspicion (Mukddaam), dam of stakes-winner Morant (Fusaichi Pegasus).
Bob Peters is a shareholder in Newhaven Park Stud's Champion New Zealand 3YO, and dual Group 1 winner Xtravagant and Morning Mist has been a regular partner.
She has two other sons of Xtravagant in the unraced 2yo Authorative and a yearling named Dorset Tide.
After foaling another son of Xtravagant last spring, Morning Mist had a switch up and visited Toronado (IRE).
Devoted is the fourth stakes-winner for Xtravagant, who stands at Newhaven Park in 2022 for a fee of $24,750.
