Four-year-old Mo'unga landed the Group 1 Winx Stakes (1400m) at Randwick yesterday, upstaging eight-time Group 1 winner Verry Elleegant in a Kiwi-bred quinella, in what was a blanket finish to the first elite level contest of the season.
Mo'unga had provided trainer Annabel Neasham with the first Group 1 win of her career when taking out the Rosehill Guineas (2000m) as an autumn three-year-old.
Ridden by Tommy Berry, Mo'unga stalked Verry Elleegant then peeled off her back and outmuscled the mare in the fight to the line to get the decision by a half-neck.
She's Ideel, a Karaka graduate of Lyndhurst Farm's draft, flashed home from last to grab third in an eye-catching performance.
"He looked the winner a long, long way out. He came up outside Verry Elleegant and I knew he was going to be in for a tough battle as she's such a fighter as well," Neasham said.