The Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott-trained Dawn Passage stamped himself a colt with a future when he defeated a handy field by upwards of three and a half lengths when making his career debut at Randwick in January and it did not take long for the son of Dawn Approach (IRE) to stamp himself as a player in the big three-year-old races in the spring.
Coming off a 26-week break since finishing a troubled third behind the high-class Dundeel colt Castelvecchio in the Inglis Millennium at Warwick Farm, Dawn Passage came with a barnstorming finish from second last to earn a maiden stakes win in Saturday's Listed The Rosebud at Rosehill Gardens on Saturday.
With the speedball Cardiff setting a cracking pace in front, Tim Clark settled Dawn Passage back in the field and he had plenty of ground to make up in the straight.
Switched out to mount his challenge, Dawn Passage picked off runner after runner to defeat the Redoute's Choice filly Let It Pour by a neck with the I Am Invincible filly Lucicello charging home from last to be a short-half-head back in third. (images Steve Hart)
"He's an
outstanding individual an outstanding colt. To do what he did today and have to
make up the lengths he did over 1100 metres, it was an outstanding effort,"
Waterhouse said.
"He was going through a growth spurt last time in and he will only improve as he gets out over further. That's an outstanding stepping stone to the Golden Rose."
Bred by The Toorak Thoroughbred Breeding Trust, Dawn Passage was consigned by Mill Park Stud to the 2018 Inglis Premier Yearling Sale where he was knocked down to A Bott / G Waterhouse / Blue Sky Bloodstock for $150,000.
A half-brother to the Group III SAJC Jansz Stakes winner Dinkum Diamond (Keep The Faith), Dawn Passage is the eighth foal and the sixth winner for the now pensioned Raja Lane.
The daughter of Devaraja was a crack racemare earning over $428,000 with seven wins highlighted by the Group III SAJC Dermody Stakes.
Her final foal is a 2yo colt by Rebel Raider.
Dawn Passage becomes the seventh stakes-winner and the first in Australia for the 4-time Group 1 winner Dawn Approach (IRE).
The son of New Approach (IRE) covered just 34 mares last spring and is not returning in 2019.
