While it was no great surprise to see the highly talented Clearly Innocent win Saturday's $700,000 Group I Darley Kingsford Smith Cup (1300m) at Eagle Farm, it was extraordinary to see some of the margins Group I performed sprinters were beaten by.
It could just as easily been the finish of a maiden on a bottomless track at Naas.
Five-time Group I winner Black Heart Bart struggled into fifth place, beaten over nine lengths while defending champion Music Magnate tailed off over 27 lengths from the winner.
Clearly Innocent was a deserved winner.
The son of Not A Single Doubt came from near the tail of the field under Hugh Bowman to run down the game front-running mudlark Jungle Edge (Dubawi) by three lengths with the stud-bound Counterattack (Redoute's Choice) a further three and three-quarter lengths back in third. (photo Steve Hart)
But one person not complaining about the track was trainer Kris Lees who recently took over the training of Clearly Innocent from Greg Bennett who took up a position with Aquis Farms.
"Don't move the Stradbroke Handicap to another track," Lees said on one of the day's hot topics.
"Greg looked after Clearly Innocent very well early in his career and I am the one getting the benefit.
"It was a bit of a worry with the step up from Listed class at his last start win to a Group One but he has taken the step now.
"He's a very good horse and it's on to the (Group One) Stradbroke Handicap in a fortnight."
Bowman will be hoping the handicapper allocates Clearly Innocent a weight within his range.
"He was a query in the class today but I was confident he would take that step. He's a really impressive horse. I wanted to be closer in the run but I didn't want to push out of his comfort zone," Bowman said.
The Cressfield Stud homebred advances his record to 9 wins and 1 second from 15 starts with earnings of $1,059,100.
The 5yo son of Not A Single Doubt is the third foal of his dam No Penalty, a 4-time winning daughter of Zabeel, who was sold by Cressfield for $16,000 at the 2013 Inglis Easter Broodmare Sale.
A three-quarter sister to the Listed Reginald Allen Handicap winner Gimmick, the dam of Group 1 TJ Smith Classic winner Rinky Dink, and a half-sister to the dam of the Group 1 Rosehill Guineas winner Sale Of Century, No Penalty hails from the family of Group 1 winners Domino, Hero and Veloso.
No Penalty has an unraced 2yo filly by Street Boss (USA) named Scrutinizer and a weanling colt by Patronize.
She was bred back to Not A Single Doubt last spring.
Clearly Innocent becomes the seventh Group I winner for Not A Single Doubt whose fee has been set at $88,000 at Arrowfield Stud this year.
