Quantico as a yearling
A treble of winners and an eye-catching debut second across two different hemispheres ensured it was a rewarding weekend for the China Horse Club and their partners. Pawpaw’s success at Lingfield (UK) on Friday evening kickstarted the run of success before Quantico (Australia) and Cognac (UK) bolstered that tally. It was nearly four scores as Elected came with a withering run on debut only to narrowly fall short.
Pawpaw was always prominent in the 10-furlong event, settling just behind the speed before a winning move was made on the home corner. On the line Pawpaw had a length-and-a-quarter advantage over his nearest rival in what was a comfortable victory.
Cognac was even more dominant on Sunday at Kempton Park (UK), spacing his rivals by two lengths in his mile contest. The Mark Johnson trainee showed good early speed to cross from his wide draw and remain prominent. He continued to press forward under William Buick moving into the corner and early in the home straight. Under vigorous riding he assumed control of the race before asserting his dominance over the concluding stages.
Weightier assignments will certainly be in order for Quantico after he made light work of his rivals in Australia. The strapping colt was making just his fourth career appearance and was in a different grade to his rivals, shouldering topweight of 61kg, coming from near last at the top of the straight and motoring home for a near three length win.
The three-year-old, who is owned by a powerhouse syndicate of Australian breeding operations, was having his first start since mid-January and delivered on the promise he has long shown. His only performance that was below expectations came on a soft track.
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