Less than six months ago, Incentivise finished some 16-lengths from the winner when beating two home in a Towoomba maiden.
Following that performance, he has run off a sequence of seven wins highlighted by his all-the-way win under Brett Preble in Saturday’s $1million Group 1 PFD Food Services Makybe Diva Stakes at Flemington.
It is a rise that has few equals in modern history. Previously trained by his breeder and part-owner Steve Tregea, Incentivise made his first start for Peter Moody.
The 5yo gelded son of Shamus Award passed his Group 1 test with flying colours holding the last start Group 1 Winx Stakes winner Mo’unga (Savabeel) by a neck with the Group 1 WS Cox Plate winnerSir Dragonet (IRE) (Camelot) a short-half-head back in third.
Incentivise advances his record to seven wins from ten starts with earnings of $889,100.
“It was a very good effort, he didn’t look comfortable at any stage,” Peter Moody said.
I don’t think he got on his right leg. It will be interesting to have a chat with Brett (Prebble), he certainly didn’t change down in the straight.
“There is nice improvement to come. It probably wasn’t the way we intended to go about it, but I just left that totally up to Brett. As we’ve seen, the further he gets into a race, he builds nicely. Even though they got to him, you knew he was going to keep going. It was very encouraging at this stage of the spring. We’ve only got one more run between now and the (Melbourne) Cup, which will probably be the Turnbull (Stakes). It’s time to build on it, and hopefully we can get him on his Melbourne leg at some stage.
“He is a very good horse. I am yet to see him have a blow so, he’s obviously got a great set of lungs on him. When he gets to a mile and a quarter (2000m), and he is allowed to build and roll and has a bunny instead of being the bunny, I think you are going to see a pretty exciting stayer.
“He looked tremendous today. My greatest concern is having him in the same condition in six or eight weeks time. Steve said the further he gets into a campaign, the better he does and the more he thrives. He’s thrived to this point so if he continues to go onwards and upwards, look out.”
Incentivise is the best of four stakes-winner for the stakes-placed Iglesia mare Miss Argyle.
He is a half-brother to the Group III ARC Concorde Handicap winner and Waikato Stud-based stallion Ardrossan (Redoute’s Choice) and Listed winners Cheyenne Warrior (Not A Single Doubt) and Bergerac (Drumbeats).
A sister to dual Listed winner Diamondsondinside, Miss Argyle (Iglesia), died in September last year. Her final live foal is an unraced 3yo Golden Archer gelding named Argyle Lane.
Incentivise becomes the fourth Group 1 winner for Shamus Award who stands at Rosemont Stud for a fee of $33,000.
