$1.9 million yearling Profondo has made a winning start to his career at Randwick-Kensington on Wednesday.
Expensive colt Profondo has defied a betting drift to make a winning start to his career, taking out the 1st Crop Magna Grecia Foals Handicap (1400m).
Profondo was the sale topping lot at the Gold Coast Magic Millions sale in 2019, purchased for a whopping $1.9 million by the Galletta family, who raced multiple Group One winning stallion Castlevecchio.
Richard Litt had been patient with the son of Deep Impact, trialling him four times across two campaigns before making his debut at Randwick-Kensington.
Litt was happy with the colt’s performance but didn’t give away where he’d be heading next start.
“My team at home and our support group is wonderful,” he said.
“We thought we presented him very well and he showed that today.
“He’ll take a lot of improvement out of that, I know that for sure.
“1400m first-up isn’t easy for any horse, but he seems to have handled that really well.
“Onwards and upwards.”
Profondo found himself wide for the early stages in the race after jumping from barrier seven.
Robbie Dolan was able to settle the colt and find a midfield position with cover through the middle stages of the race.
Dolan presented the three-year-old at the top of the straight, but it took a while for Profondo to lengthen before picking up and proving too strong late to win by 0.15 lengths.
It was a winning return for Dolan, who had not ridden in a race since May after suffering from a nerve injury in his arm.
Dolan kept his cool partnering the expensive colt, who he says has plenty of upside.
“First ride back you always feel a few butterflies in your stomach,” he said.
“Everyone I know has been ringing me about this horse and I just kept saying the same thing, ‘you’ll have to wait until the race’.
“He came off the bit there and just got a little bit lost with the other horses around him.
“But he stuck his nose out right through the line and even up a furlong after the line, he was strong again trying to pull up.
“He’s up there with one of the nicest young horses I’ve sat on, I’ll say that.
“For him to do that and still be very green, he’s definitely got a lot of upside.”
Profondo beat home the Clarry Conners-trained Mokolua, with French Emperor a further 1-1/2 lengths away in third.
Race favourite Money From The Sky failed to display the closing speed he showed on debut, finishing in ninth position.
