With the Group II Blue Diamond Prelude under her belt, Exploring was the class act in the VRC Member Annabel Cobain Hcp (1000m) at Flemington. Despite being burdened with topweight, the daughter of Brazen Beau was not for catching.
The Godolphin homebred has been trialling brilliantly in Sydney for resumption since being unplaced in the Golden Slipper on March 18.
With Celine Gaudray taking 2kgs off Exploring’s 60kgs, Exploring was brave from the front to defeat the Sioux Nation gelding Archo Nacho by a half-length, with the Harry Angel (IRE) gelding Ouroboros a neck back in third.
“She was almost weighted out of the race, but she is a quality filly, which we saw in the Blue Diamond Prelude,” stable representative Sean Keogh said.
“She is a course and distance winner here and the lads at Osborne Park had her prepped beautifully.
“She had two sharp trials under her belt, so we were happy that she put on a performance like that with the weight she carried.
“She has probably come on more mentally than physically. She has not grown a pile since, but she has strengthened up and is a bit of a bull of a filly. She paraded beautifully today and made her way down the Flemington straight as quiet as a lamb.
“With two weeks left in the season, it would be nice to get (another) stakes win.”
A descendant of the Golden Slipper winner Fairy Walk, Exploring is the first foal of the Group III placed Exceed An Excel mare Cristobal, a granddaughter of Step (Grand Lodge), a half-sister to Group 1 QTC Stradbroke Handicap winner Crawl and dual Listed winner Old Man and to the dam of 4-time Group 1 winner Trapeze Artist.
Step produced the Group II MVRC AAMI Vase winner, Marching and the Listed MRC Debutant Stakes winner Gait, in addition to stakes-placed Status Quo (Lonhro), the dam of Cristobal.
A winner on debut at Randwick, Cristobal finished second to Sunlight in the Group II Magic Night Stakes.
After foaling a Street Boss (USA) colt last spring, Cristobal was covered by Spirit Of Boom.
