KEY POINTS:
Reward for effort raced away for an upset win in the A$1 million Blue Diamond Stakes yesterday.
Trainer Peter Moody and Dean Watt of Dynamic Syndications went to the Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale and paid A$190,000 for the colt by Exceed And Excel from Rory's Jester mare Miss Prospect.
"It's mindblowing actually. Realistically we went into it open minded," Moody said. "We thought we could beat the fillies but we thought Real Saga had the wood on us, but we've improved a little bit and he has obviously lost a little bit.
"Luke [Nolen, jockey] took up the initiative. We thought we'd put the pressure on."
Moody, who hails from Charleville in Queensland and won the Victoria Derby with Amalfi in 2001, said it was a great day for the outback town as jockey Ken Pope, who grew up with him, landed his first Group One win on Swiss Ace in the Oakleigh Plate.
Nolen had Reward For Effort ($16) travelling third until he burst clear in the straight.
Real Saga, who settled 11th of the 13 runners, looked too far back to win coming to the home turn but he stormed home to finish 1 lengths from the winner.
Dwayne Dunn, trying to maintain his unbeaten record in the race after four successive wins, was again in the finish on the filly Maka Ena ($21) who came from 10th to be 2 lengths away third.
Nolen added the victory to his Caulfield Guineas success aboard Wonderful World and the Cox Plate on El Segundo.
A NEAR record-breaking win in the St George Stakes has set Theseo up to give trainer Gai Waterhouse her first Australian Cup win next month.
The Danewin 5-year-old dominated and when Nash Rawiller gave him more rein he sprinted away at the top of the straight to win the Group Two feature by 3 lengths from Baughurst and Zarita.
"It is all go to the Australian Cup now," said Waterhouse's travelling foreman Steve O'Halloran.
On the strength of St George victory, TAB Sportsbet slashed Theseo from A$4.50 to A$2.40 for the Australian Cup.
Theseo's winning time of 1:47.83 was the fastest 1800 metres for St George since Cent Home set a course record winning in 1:47.19 on the way to winning the 2001 Australian Cup.
In the Oakleigh Plate, Swiss Ace rallied
after being headed by Lucky Secret halfway up the straight and under Pope's vigorous pocketed $240,000 for his connections in the Group One sprint.
Trained on the Sunshine Coast by Mick Mair, Swiss Ace ($31) beat Lucky Secret ($12) by a short head while Typhoon Zed ($15) was only a long neck away third.
- AAP
