Rachel King kept up her remarkable strike rate for Godolphin when she guided the Street Cry (IRE) gelding Gaulois to a maiden stakes success in Saturday's Listed Civic stakes (1350m) at Rosehill Gardens.
Winless since scoring in a benchmark 92 over 1600 metres at Randwick in July last year, Gaulois took his record on a heavy track to two wins and two seconds from four starts.
The James Cummings-trained gelding had just three behind him turning for home, then found the centre of the track before keeping up a relentless gallop to defeat Firsthand (Star Witness) by with New Tipperary (High Chaparral) back in third. (images Steve Hart)
With his
first stakes win in the bag, Gaulois advances his record to 5 wins, 5 seconds
and 7 thirds from 24 starts with earnings of $495,375.
Godolphin's stable representative Darren Beadman said it was a well-deserved reward for the well-travelled four-year-old.
"Rachel let him bide his time early then she got on to the back of Star Reflection, which brought him in to the race and she was very patient from the 600 to the 400, which stood him in good stead over the final 100 metres," Beadman said.
"James took him to Perth and Brisbane so he's got plenty of miles in his legs and it's just been bad gates making him get back out of his ground - so this was a very deserving win."
A half-brother to this season's Group II VRC Sires' Produce Stakes winner La Tene (Helmet) Gaulois is out of Lonhro's top-class daughter Celts whose four wins included the Group III ATC Birthday Card Stakes and Listed Macquarie Cup.
Celts' dam Dinna Flash (Canny Lad) is a half-sister to the honest sprinter Appoint (Alquoz) whose 11 wins included the Group III VATC Rubiton Stakes.
Celts was not covered in 2016 but she delivered a Teofilo (IRE) filly last spring before being bred back to Street Boss (USA).
Gaulois becomes the 129th stakes-winner for Street Cry (IRE) and his seventh stakes-winner in Australia this season.
The deceased son of Machiavellian is riding high in third spot behind Snitzel and I Am Invincible for champion sire honours with earnings of over $15.4 million of which the recently retired champion Winx contributed over $7.2 million.
