Champion trainer Darren Weir has better horses in his stable than Cliff's Edge but few with a bigger heart.
The son of Canford Cliffs (IRE) became Australia's latest equine millionaire when he battled his way to a half-length win over Prized Icon in Saturday's $200,000 Group II Schweppes Crystal Mile (1600m) at Moonee Valley. (photos Grant Courtney )
Recording his fourth stakes win, Cliff's Edge advances his record to 8 wins and 4 seconds from 21 starts with earnings of $1,033,960.
The 4yo entire will be given his chance for Group 1 glory as Weir indicated he will back up in next week's $1 million Group 1 Kennedy Mile at Flemington.
"He's got the perfect racing style," Weir told Racing.com.
"He'd be a great horse to own because he never runs badly. He makes his own luck up on the speed and he just controlled the race there.
"We were hoping to lead, that didn't happen but being outside the leader was fine and he just put himself into a position to win the race.
"Now that he's done a bit of racing, he had a fetlock chip removed, I think he appreciates a smidgen of cut out of the track but we got away with it today."
A $60,000 purchase by Darren Weir Racing / John Foote Bloodstock from session two of the 2016 Inglis Premier Yearling Sale, Cliff's Edge is the tenth foal of the Snaadee mare Simulation whose 8 wins ranged in distance from 1100 metres to 3000 metres.
Her previous six winners included the speedy Delago's Lad (Delago Brom) who was stakes-placed in the Listed VRC Maribyrnong Trial Stakes.
Simulation's unraced dam Wodgina (USA) (Verbatim) is a half-sister to the grand racemare All Along a 7-time Group I winner including the 1983 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.
Simulation died in November 2016. Her final foal is a 2yo colt by Danerich named Simulated.