After 129 weeks and at his nineteenth start in his adopted homeland, the Mike Moroney-trained Sound (GER) finally found his way to the winner's circle in Saturday's Group II Quayclean Zipping Classic (2400m) at Sandown.
Few would decry his breakthrough. In 2020 the 8yo son of Lando has been runner-up in the Group 1 Auckland Cup, Group III The Bart Cummings and the Group III Hotham Handicap at his most recent start.
With the unstoppable Jamie Kah in the saddle, Sound (GER) stayed on strongly to defeat Brimham Rocks (GB) (Fastnet Rock) by a length and a quarter with Future Score (IRE) (Cape Cross) a short-neck back in third.
"He certainly did deserve that. It is probably just the last 18 months that he's started to look well,” Moroney said.
“He came over from Germany, and we had a season before we ran him in the Melbourne Cup. It took him a while to really condition up, but he has now. He's got really strong.
"We were just disappointed that we got left in New Zealand after the Auckland Cup. He was stranded there and missed the Sydney autumn as well. It was a bit disappointing, but he has been going terrific, and he deserved that.
"Gerard Peterson (owner), has been with me since I started training. Second Coming was one of the first ones he raced with us, and he has been with us ever since."
A Group II winner in Germany, Sound (GER) arrived in Australia after finishing second to Best Solution in the Group I Grosser Preis Von Berlin at Hoppegarten.
The pair met up again nine weeks later in the Group 1 Caulfield Cup in which Sound finished a troubled tenth, some ten lengths behind his old foe.
A son of Japan Cup winner Lando, Sound (GER) is one of three stakes-winners out of the stakes-winning Exit To Nowhere mare Sky Dancing.
Sound is a brother to the Horse of the Year in Germany in 2010, Scalo whose six wins include the Group 1 Preis von Europa and Group II Deauville Prix Guillaume d'Ornano.
Sound’s half-sister Sexy Lady (Danehill dancer won four races highlighted by the Group III Prix Chloé at Maisons-Laffitte.
