After missing a run in the Golden Slipper, Godolphin's Exceed And Excel colt Bivouac found a perfect consolation in the Group III Widden Kindergarten Stakes (1100m) to kick-start day 1 of The Championships at Randwick.
Given an inspired ride by Blake Shinn, Bivouac dashed clear at the 250 metres to defeat the strong finishing debutant Libertini (I Am Invincible) by two lengths with the favourite Athiri (Lonhro) a half-neck back in third. (images Steve Hart)
Winner of the Listed Lonhro Plate at Warwick Farm on February 9, Bivouac came into the Kindergarten off a luckless fourth in the Group II Todman Stakes at Randwick won by Yes Yes Yes (Rubick).
The James Cummings-trained colt advances his overall record to 2 wins, 1 second and 1 third from 5 starts with earnings of $251,200.
This has been a productive day for the family of Bivouac with her granddam Camarilla and Camarilla's daughter Guelph both winning the ATC Sires' Produce Stakes.
And winning rider Blake Shinn was keen for Bivouac to be given his chance in that race.
"Blake was very keen for me to give it more and more thought about running him in the Sires and we talked about it with the boys but the Kindergarten was his right race, Cummings said.
"He's a good colt and I think he is capable of improving into something even better in time.
"He showed brilliant acceleration on the going (soft 7) to put the race away comfortably."
Blake Shinn has no doubt the son of Exceed And Excel rates among the best juveniles.
"He's a very exciting horse, he won dominantly today as he did when I won on him at Warwick Farm when he beat Time To Reign, who went on to run well in the Golden Slipper," Shinn said.
"He's got form around the better class two-year-olds, he's an improving type and I think he is only going to get better once he turns three.
"I couldn't have been more impressed by his win today."
A son of the winning More Than Ready (USA) mare Dazzler, Bivouac is a full-brother to Coruscate who was a 4-time winner and placed in the Group II ATC Skyline Stakes and Group III ATC Pago Pago Stakes and a three-quarter brother to Guelph the Champion 3YO Filly in Australia in 2013-14.
The winner of her first two starts at Geelong and Flemington, Dazzler is out of the Group 1 AJC Sires' Produce Stakes winner Camarilla (Elusive Quality) who besides Guelph is the dam of the Group II Todman Stakes winner and young stallion Ghibellines (Shamardal).
Dazzler has a filly foal by Medaglia D'Oro (USA) and was covered by Lonhro last spring.
