It is safe to say that Ciaron Maher knows a stayer with potential when he sees one and St Lawrence has shown him enough to describe the horse as a âstayer of the futureâ.
St Lawrence took his record to four wins in as many starts with victory in the BM70 Joe Brown Handicap over 1800 metres, two of which have been at this course.
âHe looked to be dominant last start but it was a bit workman-like today,â Maher said.
âHe doesnât carry a lot of condition so weâll just keep an eye on him but he is ticking up through the grades but this was pretty soft in the end.
With runs well-spaced, Maher said that finding this right race was key to ticking another box in the four-year-old by Redwoodâs progression.
St Lawrence won on debut at Hastings in New Zealand over 1400 metres in April, then won on a heavy track at Geelong on September 15.
Conquering at Sandown on December 7 on a firmer surface over 1500 metres, the gelding stepped up to this longer distance with few issues.
âThereâs plenty there to work with,â jockey John Allen said.
âThe last run he was able to take a sit and he probably looked more explosive but today they didnât do that quick so it turned out to be a sprint up the straight.
âHe was always doing enough to hold them even though it wasnât looking as impressive as the last run.â
St Lawrence started the $1.55 favourite and won by a half-length over the Matt Cumani-trained Wetakemanhattan ($41) and Barretta ($10) for Ben and JD Hayes.