A one-two for Rosemont Stud’s WS Cox Plate hero Shamus Award in Saturday’s Listed Anzac Day Stakes (1400m) at Flemington with the Danny O’Brien-trained Flying Award coming from last with a barnstorming finish to deny Ironedge.
After missing the start, Damien Oliver settled Flying Award at the tail of the field and he was still there with 250 metres to run. He then unleashed a powerful sprint down the outside to defeat Ironedge by a neck with the Street Boss colt Indictment a long-neck back in third.
It was the first win for Flying Award who debuted with a second and Ballarat on February 23 before being narrowly edged out by Itshot at Sandown on April 8. He had that Snitzel colt three lengths behind him on Saturday.
Racing in the colours of Sean Buckley, which were also carried by his sire Shamus Award, Flying Award has a very bright future according to his trainer.
“His still a bit raw and gave himself a bit to do. He’s a horse we feel will be around the mark in the spring when he gets to a mile or a mile and a quarter he has all the attributes to be a top-class horse,” O’Brien said.
“We will aim him at the Caulfield Guineas and a 3yo that runs well in the Caulfield Guineas there si always the option to go to the Cox Plate.
“He’s already in front of his dad because he's won a race as a two-year-old where his dad got tipped out of the (VRC) Sires’ here over 1400 metres.
“We have got three or four two-year-old’s for Sean Buckley, all Shamus Awards, who we thing will be around the mark in the spring and this guy is one of them.
Flying Award is the seventh foal and fourth winner from six to race out of the stakes-placed Flying Dansino (Fusaichi Pegasus) who is a half-sister to dual Listed stakes-winner and Group 1 South Australian Derby runner-up Zagreb (Zabeel) from the famous Leica family.
Flying Dansino has a yearling Shamus Award filly named Embedded and was covered by the Rosemont Stud stallion again last spring.
After a slow start to his career, Shamus Award is really starting to hit his straps.
Flying Award becomes the seventh stakes-winner for the son of Snitzel who covered 149 mares last spring at a fee of $11,000.
