To the delight of his supporters that backed him into favouritism, the big, bold striding Far Enough made a winning career debut in a 1000 metre maiden at Bendigo on Wednesday.
Ridden by Damien Oliver for Cranbourne-based trainer Dale Short, the son of Needs Further was not the best to begin but enjoyed a cosy run midfield in the eight-horse field.
Brought three wide on the turn to mount his challenge, Far Enough looked set for an easy time of it in the later stages but a combination of his greenness and another honest performance from the well-named Brazen Beau gelding Gutsy resulted him in having to fight for a half-length win. The Skilled filly Luna Chara two and three-quarters back in third.
“I like what I saw. He is a forward going horse, but he hasn’t really been tested and didn’t know what to do,” Short told Racing.com.
“I could have gone back to the trials but he wasn’t going to learn much there so I thought I would go to the races and put my neck on the line.”
Far Enough was a $45,000 purchase by his trainer out of the Armidale Stud draft at the 2019 Magic Millions Tasmanian Yearling Sale.
He is the second winner from three to race out of the well-performed Mujahid mare Music Shop a 6-time winner in Victoria including wins at Moonee Valley (x2), Caulfield and Sandown.
Purchased for just $8,000 by Belmont Bloodstock Agency at the 2015 Inglis Great Southern Broodmare Sale, Music Shop is out of Monde Bleu mare Smytzer’s Magic who is a half-sister to Group 1 WATC Railway Stakes winner Gilded Venom )Golden Snake) and to Horse Of The Year Scenic Blast (Scenic) whose eight wins included the VRC Newmarket, Lightning Stakes and King Stand Stakes at Royal Ascot.
Following two fruitless seasons, Music Shop foaled a colt by Alpine Eagle in August 25.
After seven seasons at Armidale Stud in Tasmania, Needs Further crossed Bass Strait in 2020 to stand alongside Lean Mean Machine and Royal Meeting at Aquis Farm in Victoria where his fee remains at $13,750. The handsome son of Encosta De Lago covered a career high 103 mares in 2019.
