Highlighting his ability two starts back with a narrow third in the G3 MRC Sir John Monash Stakes (1100m) at Caulfield, Sir Prancealot (IRE) gelding Sir Now secured his first stakes victory on Saturday, leading all the way in the $150,000 G3 SAJC Behemoth Stakes (1200m) at Morphettville.
Sent off the favourite in the 13-horse field just ahead of Lingani who had beaten him home last time out, the Darryl Hewitt trained gelding was quick out of the gates from barrier 11 to take up the lead, albeit tracking wide.
With the field racing on the middle of the track, the Connor Murtagh ridden Sir Now took the field into the home straight, and while he headed towards the outside fence, last season’s G3-winning, G1 placed filly Mating Call came along the inside where she looked as if she’d be in the finish.
Coming through the middle of the pack to put themselves into a challenging position was Dan Meagher’s New Zealand bred Lim’s Saltoro while last year’s Listed Lightning Stakes winner Cicala was following Sir Now.
Pretty much racing along the outside fence, Sir Now powered to the line, holding off his rivals to take the race by a little over three parts of a lengths from Cicala who improved from her fifth placing in the same race last year.
Third was Lim’s Saltoro, while Dan Clarken and Oopy MacGillivray finished fourth in what was a very good return from a mare looking for further.
Recording his first black type winner, trainer Darryl Hewitt was clearly pleased with the result.
“It is very good. It’s the first time I've had a Group 3 winner; I’ve had a couple of placings. I’ve had Listed winners and Group 3-placed, but no Group 3 winners,” said Hewitt.
“This horse deserves it.
“You can hear the reaction of the crowd, he’s a favourite.”
“I just feel so happy for Connor because he’s had nine starts for one win on him and everyone was starting to doubt whether the horse would run for him, but all those races he either had 63kg or they were Listed races at Flemington, etc. He knows the horse well.”
The victory of Sir Now gave jockey Connor Murtagh consecutive wins in the race, having guided the Shane and Cassie Oxlade trained Queman to victory last year.
Taking his record to ten wins and ten placed efforts from 27 starts with earnings of $518,410, the Cornerstone Stud bred Sir Now is the first stakes winner from two to the races out of the Fighting Sun mare Yamnaka.
Yamnaka visited the former Cornerstone Stud based Sir Prancealot for three consecutive season and has been out of luck since, but was covered by Widden Stud’s Nicconi in the spring, as was Sir Now’s year younger full sister Miss Prancelot.
Sir Now became the 23rd stakes winner for Sir Prancelot who covered six consecutive books of mares in Australia before being exported to the USA in 2022 where he stood at a fee of US$6,600 at California’s Rancho San Miguel this year.
