Last with just 200 metres left to run, Jamie Kah threaded the needle on Vega One (Lope De Vega) to snatch an unbelievable win in Saturday’s $700,000 Group 1 Kingsford Smith Cup (1300m) at Eagle Farm.
It was a 1-2 finish for Tony Gollan, whose Spirit Of Boom gelding Jonker looked set to win before Vega One sept to a half-length win.
Exceed And Excel gelding Signore Fox was a short-head back in third.
“I am so proud of these horses,” Golan said
“This horse had a major injury last year after the Stradbroke. He had a long time in rehab down in Victoria. This has been a long-range mission to get here and in to the Stradbroke with him- it doesn’t get any better.
“I didn’t know where to look. I thought Jonker was going to hang on. Then I saw him behind a wall of horses then off he went.
“A 1-2 in a Group 1 at home is fantastic.”
It was the sixth Group 1 win for Kah, who said it could have all gone pear-shaped in the straight.
“I wanted to be held up on him, but not that much. I needed a run desperately in the end,” Kah said.
“I was in a lot a lot of trouble. I have to thank Bossy (Glenn Boss), who told me everything about this horse.
“I met Tony when Sunlight came up here. I have ridden for him a few times, but that tops our list of winners”
A half-brother to the Group II ATC Sweet Embrace Stakes winner One More Honey (Onemorenomore), Vega One advances his record to six wins, five seconds and a third from 25 starts with earnings of $1,498,900.
From the fourth and final crop left by Lope De Vega (IRE) in Australia, Vega One was a $75,000 purchase by his former trainer John Thompson out of the Stockwell Thoroughbreds draft (on behalf of breeder Emirates Park), at the 2017 Magic Millions Adelaide Yearling Sale.
He is the fourth foal of the imported Distorted Humor mare One Funny Honey (USA), a daughter of the 2011 Group III VRC The Vanity winner Lan Kwai Fong (Bluebird).
One Funny Honey has a 2yo colt by Snitzel named Tidal Creek who was knocked down to Farrington Bloodstock/Aquis Farm/Brae Sokolski for $800,000 from the Aquis Farm draft at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.
Purchased by Emirates Park for $50,000 at the 2014 Magic Millions Patinack Farm Dispersal when carrying the future Group 1 winner and with the Group II ATC Sweet Embrace Stakes One More Honey (Onemorenomore) at foot.
To put the icing on the cake, One More Honey’s first foal, a yearling colt by Not A Single Doubt, was sold to Tony Fung Investments/Phoenix Thoroughbreds for $1,800,000 at the Magic Millions in January.
After foaling a Fastnet Rock colt last September, One Funny Honey has a weanling colt by Fastnet Rock and was covered by Capitalist.
Vega One becomes the 13th Group 1 winner for Ballylinch Stud's Lope De Vega and his fourth in Australia after Gyrtrash, Santa Ana Lane, Vega Magic.
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