Godolphin's Exceed And Excel colt Barber kept his record at a perfect three for three in Saturday's Group III Ladbrokes Blue Diamond Prelude (c&g) at Sandown-Hillside.
Barber in full flight (image Grant Courtney)
Unlike his wins in the Kirkham Plate at Randwick and Golden Gift at Rosehill, Barber raced on the pace after showing speed from the barriers.
Jamie Kah waited until she saw the whites of their eyes before asking Barber for the supreme effort.
The son of Exceed And Excel defeated the Per Incanto (USA) colt Little brose by a neck, with a further three-quarter length to the Fastnet Rock colt Corniche in third.
The previously undefeated Western Australian Brave Halo (Brave Smash) was far from disgraced in fourth after having trouble finding clear air in the straight.
Stable representative Sean Keogh said Barber holds pride of place among the two-year-olds at Godolphin.
"He’s been the first seed for the team for quite some time after his first preparation, and he carried that pressure from the performances we’d seen on race days through to this preparation,” Keogh said.
“So it was good that he could get the job done at the business end of things, and James and the team felt that they had some improvement in the horse coming into today, although he would be competitive given the horse's standing.
“We (in Melbourne) only got a look at the horse during the week, and everything he has done with us has shown him to be a complete professional.
“The way he has carried himself on the course today, the weather is a bit warm, and everything he has done has shown he is a very smart horse.”
Always room for another son of Exceed And Excel on the Darley roster (image Grant Courtney)
The Hollywood handsome Barber has built a bank of $860,740 from his three wins.
A brother to the Group III MRC How Now Stakes winner Manicure, Barber is the third winner from five to race out of the Group III STC Research Stakes winner Trim.
A daughter of Lonhro, Trim died in 2020, and Barber is her final foal.
