After racing with little luck, the stars aligned for the 4-year-old Shalaa (IRE) gelding Semillion in Saturday’s $250,000 Listed De Bortoli Wines Takeover Target Stakes (1200m) at Newcastle.

A homebred for Godolphin, Fastnet Rock colt Corniche had not won a race since beating Golden Slipper winner Shinzo in the Group II ATC Skyline Stake last season, but he was well fancied in the Group III Gold Coast Guineas (1200m) run at Sunshine Coast on Saturday and duly got the cash under a cool ride from James McDonald.