Sent off as favourite for the juvenile maiden at Geelong on Friday, promising Churchill (IRE) filly Thesecondatportsea overcame a tardy beginning to open her account.
Trained by Danny O‘Brien, Thesecondatportsea was second up from a spell after finishing fifth at Flemington behind highly rated filly Ghaanati.
She finished off strongly for Daniel Moore, surging to the line to win the 1347m contest by half a length at just her third start.
“We stepped away slow which put Plan A out the window to roll forward and use her race experience, so then we had to Plan B and the race became very muddling,” Moor said.
“The win had a lot of merit as she was exposed far too early and was strong to the line.”
A $110,000 Magic Millions purchase for her trainer from the Coolmore draft, Thesecondatportsea is the seventh winner from seven foals to race from good producing Encosta de Lago mare Bombay, whose dam Sarasota is a full sister to Champion sire Fastnet Rock.
Thesecondatportsea becomes the fourth Australian winner for Galileo’s champion son Churchill, whose star Northern Hemisphere bred 3YO Vadeni will in the Group I Coral Eclipse Stakes this weekend.
A last start winner of the Group I French Derby, Vadeni is well fancied to impress against the older middle distance horses.
Churchill is due back at Coolmore Australia this spring at a fee of $22,000.
