The Written Tycoon gelding Despatch jumped to the front and made every post a winner under Todd Pannell in Saturday's $750,000 Group 1 Goodwood (1200m) at Morphettville.
The Tony McEvoy-trained gelding kept up a relentless gallop in the straight to down the luckless 3yo All Too Hard gelding Behemoth by a half-neck with the favourite Spright (Hinchinbrook) hugging the rails to come from last to be a further one and a quarter lengths back in third.
It was the fourth consecutive win for Despatch who advances his record to 7 wins and 1 third from 11 starts with earnings of $954,105
"What a courageous performance," McEvoy exclaimed.
"He led today, which wasn't really our plan. I told Todd to ride him where he was comfortable, he took it up and what a fantastic performance.
"Gee this horse has come a long way, he's real bright sprinter."
Despatch has had three suspensions and two warnings because of his barrier manners and McEvoy praised South Australian authorities for the way Despatch is treated at the barriers.
"They have allowed us to make him a risk horse and this is a rule that should be made Australia wide. It gives these horses, and the owners that are paying up for them, a chance.
"There are so many people to thank that have done all the work to get this horse back into the gates.
"This means everything to me. It is a time-honoured race in South Australia, it's a tremendous race.
"He's probably done his job this prep. I've got him in the Stradbroke but we'll make a decision whether we go there or whether we wait for the spring."
Pinhooked by Baramul Stud's Paul and Amanda Thompson for $40,000 out of the Woodside Park draft at the 2015 National Weanling Sale Select Session, the son of Written Tycoon was consigned by Baramul Stud to the 2016 Adelaide Yearling Sale where she was knocked down to McEvoy Mitchell Racing for $195,000.
He is the fourth foal and the third winner out of the 3-time Sydney winner Zoccoletta (Fasliyev) who is a daughter of the smart racemare Vita (Thunder Gulch) who won the Group III AJC Fernhill Hcp and Listed TL Baillieu Hcp.
Zoccoletta died in March 2015 and Despatch is her final foal.
Despatch becomes the seventh Group 1 winner for Written Tycoon who will be covering at a fee of $110,000 at Woodside Park this spring.
