Star South Australian filly Instant Celebrity went to Melbourne carrying massive expectations and delivered in spades at Caulfield on Saturday.
The Phillip Stokes stable has been firmly focused on her peaking for the $1 million Group 1 Thousand Guineas at Caulfield on October 10 and she again proved too good to maintain her unbeaten record in the Prelude.
And Stokes said stepping out to the mile holds no fears.
"I don't think (the mile of the Thousand Guineas) will be a big problem,” Stokes said post-race.
"She's a lovely, big, scopey filly, I think she'll even get further in time.”
Stokes said the win was even more impressive given not many horses were making ground at Caulfield.
"That's how we've been riding her at home and she's built on that,” he said.
“It's been hard to run on today, so she's done a good job.”
Instant Celebrity is a $3 Thousand Guineas favourite while fellow South Australian Ecumenical finds herself a $21 chance after her massive run in the same race.
Starting at $151, the Mick Huxtable-trained filly did a power of work, covering ground throughout before still getting through the line strongly to be beaten just a length and a half behind Instant Celebrity.
The Stokes stable appear to be loaded with smart three-year-olds after Highly Discreet put herself into contention for better races with a slashing run at Moonee Valley on Friday night. Highly Discreet circled the field from the back and was beaten just two lengths in the Group 3 Champagne Stakes.
Meanwhile Quietly Discreet made it successive wins at Morphettville on Saturday.
Quietly Discreet raced outside leader Great Leveller before racing away to score a three-length win over stablemate Bottom Line, who also looks a progressive type.
It was another successful day at Morphettville for Michael Hickmott, the Murray Bridge horseman producing a double, with debutant Oath of Omerta winning over 1550m and stablemate Fearless Vision proving too smart for rivals first-up from a spell over 1000m.
Oath of Omerta was responsible for a massive win. After working to take up the leading roll and looked beaten on the turn, the three-year-old gelding showed plenty of fight to lift off the canvas along the inside and score a last-stride victory.
Hickmott leads both the state and metropolitan trainers’ premierships in the early part of the season, striking at 39.9 per cent runners to winners in town.
And it wasn't just at the metropolitan tracks where some nice SA stories unfolded on Saturday.
Former local horseman Nick Smart won the Coleraine Cup with Silent Command, ridden by rising star of the saddle and fellow SA lad Will Price.
It was a tick over 11 years earlier when Price's father Simon won the Group 3 Sires' Produce Stakes at Morphettville aboard Silent Command's mother Silent Surround for Nick Smart's father Bill.
HORSES TO FOLLOW:
RESURGE
Solid run, making good ground in the straight, and will win a similar staying race shortly
ARKHAM KNIGHT
Big run from the back with a big weight, but running out of time for suitable wet tracks
CARTIER TIARA
Beaten 7.3 lengths but squeezed up badly in the home straight and was going to finish a lot closer.
IMAGE: Pat Scala/Racing Photos
