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MELBOURNE - Chris Munce put the Hong Kong tips-for-cash scandal in which he is embroiled on the backburner to win the group one Mackinnon Stakes at Flemington with a brilliant frontrunning ride on the Gai Waterhouse-trained Desert War.
Munce returned to Sydney from Hong Kong in late September
where he was relicensed but he still faces a trial in Hong Kong in February.
The Mackinnon (2000m) victory on Saturday gave him the first leg of a winning double on Waterhouse horses as he followed up with another group one victory on Dance Hero in the Salinger Stakes (1200m).
It was also the middle leg of a treble for Waterhouse, who earlier won the group two Wakeful Stakes (2000m) with Tuesday Joy, ridden by Danny Beasley.
Waterhouse has a particular liking for the Mackinnon, a race she has now won three times, having scored with All Our Mob (1996) and Grand Armee (2004).
"The plan was to lead, the same as Grand Armee did," Waterhouse said.
"I thought of running him in the Cox Plate but he's a big horse and the track is a bit too tight for him there so I decided to wait for this."
The Desert King six-year-old was having his first start since narrowly failing to make it three Epsom Handicaps in succession at Randwick on October 7 when run down late by Racing To Win.
Desert War ran fourth to Lad Of The Manor in last year's Mackinnon.
"He's tough and fit. The only way he could win was by making it a tough test," Munce said.
And that Desert War ($7) did, carving it out in front before scoring by 2-1/4 lengths from Growl ($14).
The Waterhouse-trained mare Aqua D'Amore ($9) was a long neck away in third to add to her Caulfield Cup second placing and Cox Plate fourth in successive weeks.
Cox Plate runner-up El Segundo ($2.80 fav) was a further 4-1/4 lengths away in fourth.
"He didn't ping today," his rider Darren Gauci said.
"The quick back-up was against him and he didn't like this track.
"The inside is the best, but you have to put them into the race at some stage."
The John Hawkes-trained Melbourne Cup prospects Headturner and Railings finished seventh and 10th respectively and Melbourne stable foreman Hawkes said they "went okay".
Sphenophyta ($7) appeared to be looking for the spelling paddock when he finished 13th, beating just two home, while the Godolphin-owned Imperial Stride ($12) finished a moderate eighth.
- AAP