Winless in six starts since the Group III Healey Stakes at Doomben back in June last year when trained by James Cummings, Burning Passion gave the combination of jockey Josh Parr and trainer Mark Newnham a running double at Randwick on Saturday courtesy of a courageous performance in the Group III Hall Mark Stakes.
Given a positive ride by Parr after being caught wide early, Burning Passion hooked up with leader Oxford Poet while the favourite Dothraki looked threatening.
Dothraki was the first two crack while Burning Passion edged Oxford Poet by a half-neck with the ever-consistent Dothraki a long-neck back in third. (photos Steve Hart ).
"What a beautiful animal he is," Parr enthused.
"I didn't begin all that well but I went forward to make our own luck
"I'll be a bit cheeky saying that it was Dothraki who I was having to get a fight in with, he is a bit like a twitter troll who you see in the street in real life."
In the previous race, Parr and Newnham teamed up with the George Altomonte homebred Anatola who booked a trip to Queensland following a track record-breaking win over 1200 metres
The 5yo daughter of More Than Ready (USA) out of the star mare Wager, is likely to contest the Listed Silk Stocking at the Gold Coast on in a fortnight's time.
Burning Passion began his career as a homebred for Gooree Stud before being offered as a tried horse at an Inglis Mixed Sale in May 2016 as part of a Gooree reduction where he was purchased by Darby Racing for just $24,000.
A full brother to Group I winner Romantic Touch, Burning Passion advances his record to 7 wins, 5 seconds and 5 thirds from 28 starts with earnings of $554,630.
The son of Northern Meteor is out of the Snippets mare Dearness, a very useful racemare but not in the class of her Group 1 winning half-brothers Desert War and Laser Hawk.
Dearness has an unraced two-year-old colt by Smart Missile named Front Sight and a weanling filly by Exceed And Excel. She was covered by Your Song last spring.
