DUPORTH stamped himself as a three-year-old of immense quality - and earned a reprieve for jockey Hugh Bowman - with a fighting win in yesterday's $1 million Golden Rose (1400m) at Rosehill.
The regally bred three-year-old - by Red Ransom out of the grand race mare, Staging - was an unlucky third behind Dreamscape in last week's Up and Coming Stakes at Warwick Farm.
Yesterday, trainer Anthony Cummings was quick to fire - "You're forgiven for last week" - at Bowman as the hoop returned to scale on the winner.
There may have been smiles from the victorious connections, but there were plenty of heart flutters along the way. After jumping well, Bowman gave Duporth a perfect inside run just behind the leaders. However, with 300m to go, it looked as though Duporth ($2.70 favourite) was going to be the hard-luck story of the race, with Bowman searching for a run between the tiring Royal Striker and Sufficient.
As the David Payne filly Stripper (Jeff Lloyd, $8.50) surged to the front out wide, Duporth needed to find something special.
He did exactly that, unleashing a devastating turn of foot when he finally found clear running to edge clear at the post by a short neck.
The Peter Snowden-trained Desuetude (Danny Nikolic, $6.00) and David Hayes's All American (Corey Brown, $7.00) were both unlucky to not be fighting out the finish - particularly All American, who was almost knocked off his feet after engaging in a bumping duel with Maybe I (Glen Boss, $9.00).
"The one thing I said to (owner) Peter (Moran) was that I didn't want to try to look for luck at the furlong - there wasn't much room, but he's done it. He's got a very bright future," Cummings said.
"Even in all his gallops, he gets there [to the front] too easy and he switches off. The other horse [Stripper] came to him at just about the right rate, which gave him just enough to see her, respond and get away.
"He's just an exceptional horse."
Bowman himself was full of praise for Duporth, whom he described as the best three-year-old he'd ridden since Exceed and Excel.
"I was forced to just hold him up and then regather him [when the run presented itself] and go again," a relieved Bowman told connections in the winner's stall.
"He just oozes class. A mile will suit him even better."
For a potential stallion prospect, it's important to get a Group 1 on the resume - and Cummings is hoping that comes in the Caulfield Guineas.
However, the path to that race - which in previous years has been won by outstanding stallions in Redoute's Choice, Lonhro and Show A Heart - is far from settled.
"We've got a few different choices, so we'll sit down and have a think about it. But before the Caulfield Guineas, the Spring Stakes and the [Group 1] George Main Stakes [at Randwick]," Cummings said.
Former South African trainer David Payne - now boasting his best stable since moving to Australia six years ago - was full of praise for his filly Stripper, who dashed home from midfield in her first run since a five-month spell.
"She'll go now for the Tea Rose [Group 2, 1500m] and then the Flight Stakes [Group 1, 1600m]," Payne said.
Lloyd said Stripper had improved immensely in her time in the paddock.
"It was a great run. If she'd just had something to chase down or follow a little bit longer, the result might have been different," he said.
Payne and Lloyd somewhat made up for the disappointment of their Golden Rose second in the very next race when improving mare Hairy scored in the Listed Winning Edge Presentations Sheraco Stakes (1100m).
Settling near the tail of the field, Lloyd was content to bide his time on Hairy ($7.50) before scouting wide and charging through the field to score easily from Judged (Corey Brown, $11.00) and Interfere (Shane Dye, $3.80). Anna Bek (Peter Wells, $31.00) was an eye-catching fourth in front of the early pacemaker,
the $3.50 favourite Sliding Cube (Nash Rawiller).
But the honours for the day undoubtedly belonged to Cummings, who visited the winner's stall earlier in the day with Melbourne Cup hopeful Red Lord in the Premier's Cup (1800m).
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