Smart Missile Gelding Wins $500,000 Country Final

The VRC Cup Carnival Country Final (1600m) at Flemington on Oaks Day did not carry Black type, but with a $500,000 pot of prizemoney was a hotly contested race with talented Smart Missile gelding Star Missile powering home to down the hot favourite Harbour Views (Fr).

Trained by Greg Eurell, four year-old Star Missile continued the winning run for Melbourne Cup winning jockey Craig Williams when overcoming an outside gate to surge clear and win by more than a length.

A $40,000 Inglis Classic purchase for Hancox Bloodstock from the Amarina Farm draft, Star Missile has four wins and four placings from 13 starts with prizemoney in excess of $422,000.

"This was the race that we really wanted to target this time in and it's worked out well," Greg Eurell said.

"We stretched him out last time in just to see if he could get out over the Derby trip and it was just a bit too far for him.

"I think there are over 100 owners here today so it's a great thrill for them."

Group III placed last season at three, Star Missile looms as a stakes-winner of the future and is the best of four winners from Minnastar, a half-sister by Black Minnaloushe (USA) to the dams of stakes-winners Dance to the Stars and Wells Street.

Star Missile is one of 28 winners in the past 30 days for Smart Missile, who has had a great start to the new season and sired three stakes-winners last month in Broadwayandfourth, Jericho Missile and Smart Coupe.

Smart Missile has been super popular again at Twin Hills Stud this spring at a fee of $22,000.