Bennett Racing have some very familiar colours that were carried to success in numerous stakes races last season with Group I wins for Fireball Miss (Queensland Oaks) and Baraquiel (Moir Stakes) and they got the new season off to a flyer when Watadeel won the $220,000 Great Northern Darwin Cup (2050m) on Monday.
A seven year-old gelding by Dundeel, Watadeel was a $115,000 Inglis Premier purchase for Bennett Racing from Stonehouse Thoroughbreds back in 2021.
He won a maiden at Geelong in 2022 at his second race start and has been a good money spinner since than starting with Phillip Stokes before going to Annabel and Rob Archibald and finally to Michael Hickmott.
Hickmott spent much of his early career based in Darwin and the Cup is dear to his heart.
Hickmott had won the Cup three times previously, so knows what it takes to win and sent three runners around this year with Watadeel ridden by Zac Spain the longest priced of the trio that also included race favourite Stormageddon.
While Stormageddon failed to fire, Watadeel produced a sparkling return to form after two below par runs in the Northern Territory to race clear and win by nearly two lengths.
“To have my daughter here, 20 years after dad first brought me up here, and to do it with my family here (is special),” Hickmott said.
"A lot is going to have to happen to top that, it would have to be a Group 1 for sure."
"I said all week, this horse has been forgotten about. Nathan (Bennett) said after his last run, ‘don't worry about running him in the cup'.
“"I said ‘no, we've got him right'. We knew we had to treat him and get him right.”
It was a hometown Cup win for Zac Spain, who grew up in Darwin, but is now based in Victoria and has tasted Group I success on two previous occasions.
"To be honest, to me it's bigger than winning a Group 1, (being) back home," Spain said.
"To do it in front of the family, and for Michael, there's no other feeling like it, I think the salute showed that."
Watadeel has the overall record of eight wins and five placings from 39 starts with prizemoney topping $573,000.
Bred by Segenhoe Stud, he is the best of five winners from five foals to race from Water Kiss, a metro winning Encosta de Lago mare from stakes-winner Kishkat.
Water Kiss is now with Lyndhurst Stud and had a colt last year by Better Than Ready and was covered by him again.
