Talented three-year-old Eurozone goes to the paddock as the winner of the Group Two Stan Fox Stakes and will be prepared for an ambitious autumn campaign.
The colt, who ran sixth in the $1 million Golden Rose, is trained by Bart and James Cummings and will be spelled after his 1500m win.
Eurozone - Photo by Steve Hart
Punters warmed to three runners in Saturday’s race at Rosehill and they fought out the finish with Eurozone ($3.30) first wearing down the favourite Aussies Love Sport ($2.35) before holding off the challenge from Criterion ($3.50).
The margin between Eurozone and Criterion was a short neck with Aussies Love Sport another length behind after leading into a headwind.
“He’ll go for a break now and we will plot a path to the Doncaster,” James Cummings said.
“The Randwick Guineas will also be on the agenda. We think 1600 metres is his ideal distance.”
Eurozone is by last season’s champion first season sire Northern Meteor who died prematurely in August.
Aussies Love Sport was the second runner from the Gai Waterhouse stable to be disadvantaged by the strong winds which swirled around the course.
The pattern of most Waterhouse runners is to go forward and like Ecuador a race earlier, Aussies Love Sport had the worst of it.
“I knew as soon I got here today it was going to be an uphill battle,” Waterhouse said.
“Tommy said he was nearly going to get blown out of his seat.
“It was a strong field and there’s not much between the three of them.”
Waterhouse will decide in the next few days whether to aim Aussies Love Sport at the Caulfield Guineas (1600m) on October 12 or the Spring Champion Stakes (2000m) at Randwick on the same day.
The Spring Champion is the goal for Criterion who needed to be corrected after running in late.
“He had the race won and he ran in,” trainer David Payne said.
“The Spring Champion will suit him. He relaxes beautifully and the extra distance is also in his favour.”
