Bianco Vilano completed the rare Riverina big-race double when he defeated a classy field in the Listed $200,000 Wagga Wagga Gold Cup (2000m) at Wagga Wagga on Friday.
Trained by the highly respected Ron Stubbs, Bianco Vilano became only the fourth horse to complete the Albury Cup–Wagga Wagga Gold Cup double.
Fawkner Park achieved the feat two years ago and the only other winners of the double are Abstraction (1989) and Dan Patch (1945).
Bianco Vilano ($12), ridden by Jason Lyon who picked up the ride when Tyler Schiller was unavailable due to injury, scored by just over a length from Villasaurus ($21) with last year’s winner Flying Bandit ($12) a close third.
Stubbs had won most of the feature races in the Riverina region during his long, successful career but a Wagga Wagga Gold Cup had eluded him – until now.
“This is a huge thrill,” Stubbs told Sky Thoroughbred Central’s Graeme White.
“To be able to win both of them (Albury Cup, Wagga Wagga Gold Cup) is amazing. He has gone to another level.
“It was unfortunate Tyler could not be here today but I’m pleased for Jason. He does a lot of work for our stable, he is our stable jockey.”
Lyon, who acknowledged Schiller post-race, said it “didn’t go to plan early” for Bianco Vilano.
“But when we came out on the corner, I was pretty confident,” Lyon said.
“We hit the front a bit early but he was just too good. He is very versatile as he’s won from 1175m and now twice at 2000m.”
Bianco Vilano’s Wagga Wagga Gold Cup win ensures he is eligible for the $3 million Big Dance (1600m) at Royal Randwick on Melbourne Cup Day, the first Tuesday in November.
Trainer John Sargent snared a feature race double of his own at the big Wagga Wagga meeting including the $200,000 Inglis 2yo Challenge (1200m) with impressive first-starter Global Goal.
A two-year-old filly by former English two-year-old sensation Pinatubo, Global Goal is out of the Fastnet Rock mare Tides, herself closely related to Redoute’s Choice, Manhattan Rain and Shoals, and cost $250,000 at the Inglis Easter Yearling Sale last year.
Global Goal, ridden by Dylan Gibbons, looks well above average after scoring by just over a length from Gary Portelli’s Friendly Fire who also went promisingly on debut.
Sargent also saddled up the improving three-year-old Cosmic Avenger, a fast finishing winner of the $80,000 MTC Guineas (1600m).
Cosmic Avenger, ridden by Tommy Berry, settled back in the field, went wide on the turn, but sprinted quickly in the straight to reel in Godolphin’s Coulter to win comfortably.
Wodonga trainer David O’Prey prepared Rosie’s Prophecy, ridden by Brendan Ward, to score an upset win in the $75,000 Queen of the South (1400m).
Earlier, Hall of Fame trainer Gai Waterhouse was on track to watch the superbly-bred Eton score an impressive comeback win in the Super Maiden (1200m) by nearly four lengths.
Eton is superbly bred by champion sire I Am Invincible out of Waterhouse’s dual Group 1-winning mare English, was making a comeback after an 18-month injury-enforced layoff and was having only his third career start but his runaway win suggests the gelding has a future on the racetrack.
