Highly-touted I Am Invincible colt Home Affairs looked set to make a winning debut when dashing clear half-way down the straight in Saturday’s Group III Canonbury Stakes (1100m) at Rosehill Gardens. He then began to shorten stride on the rain-affected track and was nabbed on the line by Godolphin’s Exceed and Excel colt Zethus.
Ridden by Rachel King for trainer James Cummings, Zethus was strong to the line to defeat Home Affairs by a half-head with a head back to the Your Song colt Sing A Love Song a fast-finishing third.
Zethus impressed on debut when second to the boom colt Remarque over the same track and distance on January 16.
“He had plenty of improvement in him before his debut. He ran beautifully first up against Remarque, and he backed that up by improving a bit today,” Cummings said.
“He knuckled down so strongly against a very classy colt. He is looking for every bit for 1200m next time.
“It’s only the end of January, and there are quite a few steps to take before the big races. He is doing everything right so far and has plenty of upside.
“He has the best attitude, and I say it every year that is the most important ingredient to see in a good colt like him. He keeps improving every time you raise the bar. He will have no trouble when he steps up in distance and when the pressure goes into these races.”
A brother to the Group III ATC Magic Night Stakes winner Calliope and a three-quarter brother to the Listed BRC Mick Dittman Plate winner Aquitaine, Zethus is one of four winners from five to race out of the stakes-placed mare Melpomene.
A daughter of Elusive Quality (USA), Melpomene is a half-sister to Group II ATC Furious Stakes winner Bound For Earth (Northern Meteor), and the stakes-placed Romanus (Encosta de Lago). They are out of the VRC Oaks heroine Bulla Borghese (Belong To Me).
Purchased by John Ferguson Bloodstock as a yearling for $825,000, Melpomene has a yearling colt by Astern. After missing to Zoustar in 2019, she was cover by Harry Angel (IRE) last spring.
Zethus becomes the 181st stakes-winner for Darley Stud’s flagship stallion Exceed And Excel who covered 102 mares at his 17th season at stud last spring.
