Purchased for just $2,500 at the Inglis Online auction in May last year, two-year-old gelding Atkinson made a winning career debut over 803 metres at Coffs Harbour on Friday to credit Aquis Farm’s ill-fated Spill The Beans with his tenth first-crop winner.
Settled just behind a wall of four horses vying for the lead, Leah Kilner stuck to the rails on the Nathaniel Scott-trained gelding to open up a lead soon after straightening, which proved too much for the odds-on favourite Zanshin to overcome.
Atkinson went to the line strongly to defeat Zanshin (Dawn Approach) by a length with Qukes (Swiss Ace) one and a quarter lengths back in third.
Purchased by his owner Matt Momin, Atkinson is the first foal of the handy Written Tycoon mare Hayite who was a 3-time winner and placed at Moonie Valley.
Spill The Beans is the leading first season sire for number of individual winners.
The son of Snitzel died in November last year but he has four big crops to run for him.
With ten winners to date, Spill The Beans leads his nearest pursuer Pride Of Dubai by three, however the Coolmore-based son of Street Cry (IRE) retains a handy lead for Champion First crop sire on earnings, which recently surpassed $1 million.
