After piling on a fourth win in succession, progressive three-year-old Shanwah is likely to be Sydney bound after taking out the Alister Clark Stakes at Moonee Valley.
With now four wins in eight starts, and that winning run beginning back in January, the son of Group 1 Two Thousand Guineas (1600m) winner Too Darn Hot in the UK has the Group 1 ATC Australian Derby (2400m) now in his sights.
“If the horse is sound, and we’re happy, he can travel up to Sydney and have a crack at the Derby,” Ciaron Maher’s assistant trainer Jack Turnbull said after the Group 2 event over 2040-metres.
“He stepped a little bit slow and I was a tad worried, but to his credit he gave him a little squeeze and he poked up inside and it then worked out really well.
“Four-in-a-row, it’s not easy to do and he’s on an upwards trajectory, which is fantastic.”
Shanwah’s picket fence performances started with breaking the maiden status at Mornington followed by a benchmark 64 win at Caulfield Heath in February and victory in the Group 2 Autumn Classic (1400m) at Caulfield on February 22.
Blake Shinn was aboard Shanwah in all of those runs but with engagements in Sydney, it was a handy pick-up ride for in-form jockey Ethan Brown.
“I thought he was toying with them a bit there,” Brown said.
“He’s a horse of very high class that has continued to improve and the 2000 metres was no worries to him at all.
Markets reacted positively to Shanwah’s win with the gelding sitting third in the ATC Derby market at $6 with New Zealand Derby winner Willydoit the $3.50 favourite.
“He can measure up, certainly,” Brown said.
“The higher the pressure for this horse, the more it will switch him on.”
Shanwah ($2.20 betting favourite) won by two-lengths over the Chris Waller-trained Imperialist ($13) with Statuario ($15) and half-head away in third.
