Placed in four of his first five starts, Vomo Island returned from an 11-week break as a gelding to earn an overdue victory in Wednesday's $60,000 1800 Respect Super 3yo Maiden Plate (1200m) at Wyong.
Given an aggressive ride by Kerring McEvoy, the Peter and Paul Snowden-trained son of Dundeel, tracked the I Am invincible x Mossfun filly Mathkhoora. Levelling up on straightening, Vomo Island gradually forged clear to defeat Mathkhoora by a length and a quarter with the All Too Hard gelding One Last Shot one and a half lengths back in third.
The Snowden stable's Racing & Bloodstock Manager Colum McCullagh said Vomo Island will go through his classes.
"It probably didn't go 100 per cent to plan, but he got the job done," McCullagh said.
"He got a little lost around the bend, which can happen for horses at Wyong for the first time. When Kerrin got into him, it was good to see him lengthen.
"He is a big, free-flowing animal and will come into his own on bigger tracks.
'We've had a few of the family for Greg and Barb (Ingham). He is back as a gelding, so he is a racehorse now, and that's it. The stallion dram is over, but hopefully, he can knock over a few races for GPI."
A homebred for Greg Ingham, Vomo Island is a brother to the talented Thousand Years and a half-brother to the Listed VRC Cap D'Antibes Stakes winner Wayupinthesky (Snitzel).
His dam, The Darling One (Lonhro) is out of the Desert Prince mare Doubloon a half-sister to the Listed AJC Toy Show Quality Handicap winner Walk Alone, and to I Believe, dam of multiple Group II winner Rain Affair and Listed winner Ranges.
The family was in the news over the Flemington Carnival when The Darling One's three-quarter sister Rain Melody featured as the granddam of Group 1 Victoria Derby hero Riff Rocket.
The Darling One has an unraced 2-year-old Shalaa (IRE) filly named Inoue in the Snowden stable.
The daughter of Lonhro has a yearling filly by The Autumn Sun and foaled a sister to Vomo Island on October 17.
At the Inglis Classic Yearling Sale, Milburn Creek will offer another family member - an Astern filly (Lot 490).
