Everything finally fell into place for the Peter and Paul Snowden-trained Signore Fox in Saturday's Listed Daybreak Lover Plate (1200m) at Eagle Farm.
Given a cosy run back in the field by James McDonald as the favourite Plague Stone was hung out three wide the trip from an outside barrier, Signore Fox tracked into the race under a minimum of urging and when the favourite was putting up the white flag 300 metres out, Signore Fox pounced.
The son of Exceed And Excel kept up a strong gallop to defeat the well-supported Shamus Award filly Malahide by one and a half lengths with the Smart Missile filly Ready to Prophet staying on well for third after making the early running.
Co-trainer Peter Snowden said the son of Exceed And Excel may have earned a spell.
"We'll probably have a break now, this is a great way to finish his prep with some black type form and we'll bring him back in the spring.
"He's a horse that's going to keep improving. He's been plagued by bad barriers and wet tracks. It was good to see him find his right race today.
"James (McDonald) gave him every possible with the ride, he had no excuses so it was very pleasing to see him put them away like he did."
Coming off a solid finishing, though non-threating, seventh behind the promising Military Zone in the Group III Fred Best Classic at Eagle Farm on May 25, Signore Fox advances his record to 5 wins and 2 seconds from 17 starts with earnings of $276,910.
Purchased by
Snowden Racing for $300,000 out of the Coolmore Stud draft at the 2017
Australian Easter Yearling Sale, 
Signore Fox (pictured as a yearling) is a half-brother to the Horse of
the Year in South Africa in 2017-18 and the Champion 3YO Filly and Middle
Distance Horse in South Africa in 2017-18, Oh Susannah (Street Cry) whose five
wins included four Group 1's.
They are two of four winners out of the top-class American mare Sharp Susan (USA), which also include the stakes-placed Indiano Jones (AP Indy).
A daughter of the 1997 Belmont Stakes winner Touch Gold, Sharp Susan was the winner of six in races in North America including the Grade II Lake Placid Stakes at Saratoga and was Grade 1-placed in the Garden City Stakes at Belmont.
She is a half-sister to Grade 1 Donn Handicap winner Spring At Last (Silver Deputy) and the multiple Grade II winner and Grade 1-placed Sharp Lisa (Dixieland Band) who is the dam of Galileo's 2017 Group 1 The Metropolitan winner, Foundry.
Purchased for $2,000,000 in the US on behalf of Paul Fleming in 2008, Sharp Susan (USA) was sold by Tyreel Stud at the 2012 Inglis Easter Broodmare Sale, where she was knocked down to Badgers Bloodstock on behalf of Gaynor Rupert's Drakenstein Stud for $1,050,000.
Sharp Susan's last Australian bred foal before being exported to South Africa is a 2yo filly by Fastnet Rock named Fast Susan.
Signore Fox becomes the 159th stakes-winner for Darley Stud's flagship stallion Exceed And Excel.
