Rosemont Stud’s Shamus Award consolidated his second place in the race for Champion Australian Sire when the Joe Pride-trained Brutality chose the right spot to open his stakes account, landing a rich prize in Saturday’s $750,000 Villiers Stakes (1600m) at Randwick.
On the go since breaking his maiden at Canterbury in June, the 5yo gelding rewarded his myriad of supporters with a short-neck win over the consistent Ellsberg (Spill The Beans) with Criaderas (Lonhro) a further one and a half lengths back in third.
Ridden by Regan Bayless, the son of Shamus Award earned a golden ticket to the Doncaster Mile next April.
“That was a fantastic result and the three weeks in a row was the key to this horse getting to this race in peak fitness,” Pride said.
“He’s funny because when you look at him, I was asked the question during the week why does he need that (to back up). He’s not a robust horse. He just needs racing to settle for one and he settled much better today. And a peach of a ride from Regan there.
“I’m delighted because he wasn’t an expensive horse. It’s always the cheap ones that I talk Kylie into going into and she’s one of the owners, my wife.
“It’s a fantastic result, a big effort from the team at home to get him here at his peak today and he gets a spot in the Doncaster.
“He’d need a wet track to be really effective in it. One of the same owners, Pat Davidson and his wife Bernie, are owners of Private Eye (Epson Hcp) as well so they’ve had a pretty good year.”
Bred by Go Bloodstock, Brutality advances his record to six wins, two seconds, and six thirds from 24 starts with earnings of $800,395.
Purchased by his trainer for $40,000 from the Bhima Stud draft at the 2018 Inglis Classic Yearling Sale, he is the best of three winners from as many to race out of the stakes-placed General Nediym mare Star Salute.
Star Salute foaled a filly by The Autumn Sun on September 17.
Brutality becomes the 17th black-type winner for Shamus Award who has five entries at the Magic Millions and eight at the Inglis Classic.
