Lightly raced three-year-old Fiorente (IRE) gelding Cousin Ivan gave his trainer Holly Tailor a dream start to her training career with a fighting win in Saturday’s Listed Aquanita Stakes at Belmont.
Ridden by Alan Kennedy, Cousin Ivan defeated Marocchino (Maschino) by a half-length with the favourite Uncle Dick (Alfred Nobel) the same distance back in third.
It was the second win in four starts for the son of Fiorente (IRE) after he made a winning career debut at a provincial meeting that was transferred to Belmont on May 28.
“It’s very unexpected and I just can’t believe it’s happened, Tailor said.
“It’s just amazing and people like Grant and Alana Williams gave me so much support and advice.
“I can’t believe he even got into the race because he was so green just a few starts ago.
Tailor spent some time in Melbourne looking after the Bob Peters pair Regal Power and Super Storm who quinelled the All-Star Mile.
“ As soon as I got back Alana and Grant called me up and asked if I had space for the horse and I wasn’t going to turn him down because he had been in my stable before so I was pretty excited to have a horse as classy as him, Tailor said.
A homebred for part-owner Grant Gibbs, Cousin Ivan is the second foal and first winner for the Blackfriars mare Chong Nonsi who won six races in the west.
It is a family that has been devoid of stakes-winners for four generations.
Chong Nonsi has an unnamed 2yo brother to Cousin Ivan and has not had a foal since. She was covered by Oratorio last spring.
Cousin Ivan becomes the fifth stakes winner for Sun Stud’s Melbourne Cup and VRC Australian Cup hero Fiorente who had clicked previously with a daughter of Blackfriars when Moor Gait won the Group III SAJC Fillies Classic (2500m0 last year.
The son of Monsun will stand at Sun Stud in 2020 at a fee of $17,600.
