Canberra galloper Fell Swoop has graduated to stakes company with a comprehensive win at Moonee Valley at his first try in Melbourne.
The victory of the lightly raced four-year-old in The Cup Club Stakes (1200m) on Saturday was his third in a row, coming on top of wins at Rosehill and Randwick.
Fell Swoop
Trainer Matthew Dale also had Fell Swoop engaged in the Concorde Stakes (1000m) at Randwick on Saturday but elected to run in Melbourne on the firmer going.
Ridden by Damien Oliver, Fell Swoop was heavily supported to run the $2.45 favourite before scoring by 1-1/2 lengths from outsider Beach Front ($91) with Griante ($11) a short-head away third.
Dale predicts Fell Swoop can progress to Group company after sitting on the speed and going on to a comfortable win.
“There were some variables today,” Dale said.
“I thought he might not handle this way of going too well and he ended up in the worst part of the track.
“I thought if he could win today it would stamp him as a genuine Group horse.”
Dale said he would like to see how Fell Swoop recovers from Saturday’s race before deciding on his next path.
“I thought all along I wanted to get him here early in the spring, on the front foot, and not give him a deep spring,” Dale said.
“I think he’ll be better in the autumn and we’ll probably set him for a race like the Oakleigh Plate.”
Oliver said the son of Not A Single Doubt would gain benefit from the run.
“It was all a bit new and bit foreign for him coming to Melbourne,” Oliver said.
