Bloodstock agent Paul Moroney first spotted the promising Buffalo River (USA) at the 2017 Keeneland September Yearling Sale where he made the shortlist.
Moroney may have missed out that day but not the second time around when the then two-year-old son of Frankel's triple Group 1 winning brother Noble Mission was sent to the 2018 Tattersalls Horse In Training Sale.
Moroney secured the John Gosden-trained Buffalo River for 180,000 guineas on behalf of his brother Mike Moroney.
That seemed a fair price for a promising young horse who had a win and three placings from his four starts, which included a third behind Godolphin's Royal Marine (Raven's Pass) at Doncaster, before that colt won the Group 1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere at Longchamp at his next start.
At his first Australian start in May, Buffalo River scored at Ballarat then made it two from two at Sandown on June 16.
He put his unbeaten run on the line in Saturday's $135,000 Silver Bowl Series Final at Flemington and passed his biggest test with flying colours.
Champion jockey Damien Oliver controlled the race from the front and was never in trouble in defeating Mr Exclusive by a length with three-quarters of a length to third-placed Heavenly Emperor. (image Grant Courtney)
"I thought when Ollie drove him out of the gates he wouldn't come back under him but he did so it was good to see him switch off on race day," Moroney said.
The $7.5 million Golden Eagle (1500m) for four-year-olds on November 2 at Rosehill is a a potential likely target but Moroney told AAP he'd see whether the northern hemisphere-bred colt would get a weight concession.
"We're pretty keen on the Golden Eagle," Moroney said.
"But we're just waiting to see what they're going to do with the weights because we hope we get an allowance. They haven't announced what they are going to do and if they do give these horses the allowance they deserve because they are six months behind, well he would be in quite well.
"If we could keep him up for a race like that, it would be ideal."
Buffalo River comes from the first crop of Noble Mission who won the Champion Stakes, Tattersalls Gold Cup and Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud, while his dam Fashion Insider, a daughter of the excellent Indian Charlie, is a sister to the Grade II Super Derby winner My Pal Charlie and Grade III winner Bwana Charlie and a half-sister to Grade III winner Bwana Bull (Holy Bull).
Like the former shuttler Bullet Train (IRE), Noble Mission has lived in the shadow of his champion brother Frankel but he had a good day on Saturday as his son Code Of Honor came back from his runner-up finish in the Kentucky Derby to claim the Grade III Dwyer Stakes at Belmont.
