The striking 3-year-old colt Veight needed to pull out all stops to make a successful seasonal debut in Saturday’s Group II Sharp Eit Solutions Australia Stakes (1200m) at Moonee Valley.
Ridden by Damian Lane for Tony and Calvin McEvoy, the son of Grunt needed to make a long run to chase down the free going front runner Recommendation. Levelling up with the honest son of Shalaa (IRE) inside the 100m, Veight held the finish of fellow 3-year-old Southport Tycoon (Written Tycoon), who made a scratchy start before tracking Veight throughout the race.
Making his first appearance since finishing fifth to Ozzmosis in the Group 1 Coolmore Stud Stakes at Flemington on November 4, Veight advances his record to four wins and a second from eight starts with earnings of $1,214,990.
He is the first 3-year-old to win the Group II feature since Holler in 2016.
“He broke well, though he was beaten for speed early,” Lane said.
“I was probably two lengths further away from Recommendation than was ideal. I would have loved to have been on his back, but it did not work out that way.
“Recommendation gave a good kick, and I had to chase from a long way out. When building momentum, I felt Southport Tycoon and thought I may have brought myself undone.
“To his credit, he is so tough he digs in when it counts, and it was a really good win.”
Veight was a $220,000 Inglis Classic purchase for McEvoy Mitchell Racing / Belmont Bloodstock from the Sledmere Stud draft after he had been pinhooked as a weanling by Sledmere Stud/Cangon for $100,000 from Yulong at the Magic Millions National Weanling Sale.
He is the second winner from three to race for the Fastnet Rock mare Neena Rock, the winner of the Group III WRC Cuddle Stakes (1600m) in New Zealand and the Group III Angst Stakes (1600m) at Randwick.
Yulong purchased Neena Rock for $500,000 at the 2015 Inglis Australian Broodmare Sale.
She is one of eight winners left by the Miesque’s Son (USA) mare Feminine Wiles (USA), a half-sister to the top-class racehorse and outstanding broodmare sire Quiet American (USA).
The daughter of Fastnet Rock has a 2-year-old sister to Veight named Rock Pop in the McEvoy stable.
After foaling a Tagaloa colt in November, Neena Rock was bred back to Grunt.
Veight comes from the first crop of the Group 1 VRC Australian Guineas and Group 1 Makybe Diva Stakes hero Grunt (O’Reilly), whose daughter Miraval Rose won the Listed MRC Twilight Glow Stakes at Caulfield in December.
