The powerful Godolphin operation has struck early in the Blue Diamond series with two-year-old Cohesion winning at Caulfield.
Cohesion ($5.50) went into Tuesday’s Listed 1000m race having finished fourth to Magic Millions winner Capitalist at his only start in the Breeders’ Plate in Sydney in October.
Cohesion
The John O’Shea-trained colt’s professionalism showed as he began quickly from a wide gate to cross and lead, and he was never headed in winning by 1-1/4 lengths over debutant Capannello ($51) with three-quarters of a length to the fast-finishing El Venetian ($14).
Weatherly, the $4.40 favourite, had nothing go right after being slowly away before finishing sixth.
“It was John’s plan to go forward from the wide gate, and with the race experience under his belt and the trial at Sandown he was pretty ready for this race,” stable spokesman David Charles said.
Jockey Ben Melham believes Cohesion is good enough for a shot at the $1.5 million Blue Diamond Stakes) next month.
“He’s not overly big but he’s very professional so that will hold him in good stead,” Melham said.
Weatherly’s jockey Craig Williams said the colt lost nothing in defeat.
“Everything went wrong for him,” Williams said.
“He slipped on jumping away, he over-raced and had nowhere to go and I was really pleased the way he closed off the race.
“We didn’t win the battle today but he definitely hasn’t lost any admirers the way he went.”
