Breaking his maiden in style two starts back over 1300m at Sandown, the Phillip Stokes trained Ole Kirk gelding Regal Award appreciated the 1600m on Wednesday at Caulfield, pulling clear to win the MRC Foundation Pin & Win Handicap by seven and a half lengths.
With his two wins on either side of a fourth behind Navy Pilot (I Am Invincible), with that winning colt finishing sixth in last Saturday's Group 1 Caulfield Guineas (1600m), clearly Regal Award has above ability and a stakes race throughout the carnival would not surprise.
From barrier five in the six horse field, jockey Lachlan Neindorf let the gelding find his feet in the initial stages of the race and once the pace slackened a little, he headed around the field to be in front with about 1200m to run.
Looking strong with a two-length break on the second horse during the run, Regal Award began to ease off the pace a little, and with 500m to run, Neindorf asked for an effort.
Clearing out in the run to the line, Regal Award dominated his rivals, pulling clear by seven and a half lengths from Greg Eurell’s last start winner Obvious (Toronado) with a narrow margin back to Matt Laurie’s Tagaloa 3yo Tagline, who was himself coming off consecutive wins.
“We've always known he's had serious ability, he's a very raw horse,” Stokes said.
"I think those gear (swaps) changed things for him a bit today, put the D-bit on and the earmuffs. He stepped slow, but Lachie was able to get across and control it.
“He gave a huge kick and won by a big margin.”
When quizzed if Regal Award could've been competitive in last Saturday’s Caulfield Guineas based off the form, Stokes was straight to the point.
"We won't think about that,” said Stokes.
Taking his record to two wins and a third, Regal Award has earned connections $131,500 from just five starts with the promise of more to come.
Bred by G & C Pastoral Co and co-raced with partners after being withdrawn from the Vinery Stud draft at the 2024 Inglis Easter yearling sale, Regal Award is the first to race, and first winner out of the three-time Group 3-winning Shamus Award mare Sovereign Award, herself a full-sister to the dual Listed winner Noname Lane, a winner of the 2022 Balaklava Cup.
One of eight winners so far this season for Ole Kirk headed by Listed Poseidon Stakes winner Legacy Bound, last season's Champion First Season Sire of the 2024/25 season is standing for a fee of $99,000 (inc. GST) at Vinery Stud.
Ole Kirk, the multiple Group 1-winning son of Written Tycoon, will be represented this coming Saturday at Caulfield by the Peter Moody and Katherine Coleman trained Ole Dancer in the $1.5m Group 1 MRC Thousand Guineas (1600m) who comes into the race off the back of a second in the Group 2 MRC Thousand Guineas Prelude (1400m) last time out.
