Trainer Ron Quinton put a forgettable month behind him when Daysee Doom and Dixie Blossoms filled a stable quinella in Saturday's Group II Golden Pendant (1400m) at Rosehill.
Last month two horses trained by Quinton, Boss Lane and Imanui, tested positive to illegal levels of cobalt, prompting stewards to order an analysis of feed and supplements at Quinton's Randwick stables.
An inquiry into the stewards' findings is yet to be held however Racing NSW have publicly warned trainers of potentially contaminated brands of horse feed – namely Barastoc Phar Lap Oats-Free Muesli Concentrated Feed which had been found to contain levels of cobalt "excessively above the disclosed analysis on the product label."
As part of the stewards' investigation, some of Quinton's horses, including Daysee Doom and Dixie Blossoms, were scratched from the August 19 meeting at Randwick as stewards awaited the results of out of competition samples.
Despite the delayed start to their spring campaigns, Daysee Doom ($5.50) and Dixie Blossoms ($7) followed up encouraging first-up efforts with first and second respectively in Saturday's $400,000 event.
"We had a bit of hiccup earlier in their prep but we're past that so hopefully its onwards and upwards now," Quinton said.
"They're both very tough mares. I said during the week that I couldn't split them and they've run one-two so I wasn't far off although it would have been better if it was a dead heat."
In a slowly-run contest, Daysee Doom overcame a three-wide run on the pace to hold off her fast-finishing stablemate by a short neck. The Chris Waller-trained Omei Sword ($4.20 fav) was a further length back in third.
The win chalked up another stakes success for rising apprentice Andrew Adkins, who has been aboard in five of the mare's seven career wins.
"She's an incredible mare, she always puts her best in for me. I love her to bits," Adkins said.
"She burst away from them. I was confident all the way up the straight that she would hold on."
Quinton said the Group III Angst Stakes (1600m) at Randwick on October 7 is the likely next destination for his mares before a potential trip south of the border for the Group I Myer Classic (1600m) at Flemington on November 4.
"I hate putting them up against each other but you've got to do what you've got to do sometimes," Quinton said.
