Quackerjack enjoys nothing more than a knock-down, drag-out fight, so Saturday’s Group III Liverpool City Cup (1300m) at Randwick set up perfectly for him.
While the favourite Imaging and Cascadian were having their own personal duel, Josh Parr on Quackerjack took aim at the frontrunner Vegadaze who was up for the fight himself leading to a thrilling battle over the last 100 metres.
In his last four wins, Quackerjack’s winning margin has been less than a length and just as he did in his last start win in the Group II Villiers Stakes (1600m) in December, the son of Not A Single Doubt’s winning margin was just a short-head over the stubborn Vegadaze (Lope de Vega) with Rock (Pierro) two and a quarter lengths back in third.
"He's a very good horse and you know when it comes down to the fight more often than not he'll have his head out on the line," winning trainer Mark Newnham told AAP.
"He's only come off a three-week break. His first-up form is a bit mixed, but in a race where he looked to sit one-two around the corner he was always going to be hard to beat.
"When it came down to the last 200 metres and there was only two horses in it I was confident he'd win."
Newnham said Quackerjack would run in the Group II Ajax Stakes (1500m) in two weeks before his ultimate goal of the Group 1 Doncaster Mile.
"He'll have another run in the Ajax then three weeks into the Doncaster," he said.
"I had it planned straight after the Villiers. His best runs have been three weeks between runs so he only gets a fortnight into the Ajax then he gets three weeks into the Doncaster."
A $240,000 Magic Millions purchase for his trainer from the Rosari Farm draft, Quackerjack advances his record to 8 wins, 2 seconds and 2 thirds from 19 starts with earnings of $900,430.
He runs for a big group of stable clients including the Mittiga family.
Quackerjack is one of four winners from as many foals for Quack It, a half-sister to stakes-winners Anatina (who was second in the Group 1 The Galaxy) and Pricked from the family of the very speedy Mother Duck, which has also produced slick stakes-winners such as Ladys Angel, Alberto Magic and Oxford Poet and Sugar Boom.
Rosari Farm consigned a Vancouver filly out of Quack It at this year's Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale where she was knocked down to Blacksoil Bloodstock/Deburgh Equine/William Johnson Bloodstock for $210,000.
Quack It foaled a Sebring filly last August and was bred back to Not A Single Doubt.
