Despite looking at the crowd for most of the straight, The Autumn Sun gelding Plymouth broke his maiden at start two in the Avis Bendigo Maiden Plate (1500m) at Bendigo.
Ridden by Blake Shinn for Mike Moroney and Glen Thompson, Plymouth was caught wide, worse than midfield, with a trail.
Coming down the straight on one rein, Plymouth gradually wore down the stubborn Hot To Go (Too Darn Hot) by a length and a quarter, with Royal Hill (So You Think) back in third.
Plymouth started a short-priced favourite at his debut at Bendigo on September 8, finishing a well-beaten third behind Group II VRC Sires’ Produce Stakes runner-up Rue De Royale.
“It was a pleasing effort, but he still did a few things wrong,” Thompson said.
“He is a quirky horse, but I don’t think we will have to play around with his gear.
“The (Victoria Derby) is possible, but we have made no plans after today. It was good to get the maiden out of the way.
“We have a nice opinion of him, and his jumpouts have been good. We think he has a nice future.”
Arrowfield Stud consigned Plymouth to the 2023 Inglis Classic Yearling Sale, where Ballymore Stables Australia / C Bruggeman / Paul Moroney Bloodstock had the final say at $200,000.
The 3-year-old gelding is the first foal of the Dundeel mare Malfy, who won two of four starts at Wyong and Hawkesbury before pulling up lame at what proved to be her final start at Wyong.
Malfy descends from the family of the Nureyev mare Lady Giselle, the dam of Zabeel, Baryshnikov and ancestress of Hallowed Crown.
A half-sister to Group II Ajax Stakes winner and Group 1 WATC Railway Stakes runner-up Messene (Lonhro), Listed winner Cordero (Gio Ponti), and Group II-placed Foujita San (Maurice), Malfify lost her foals in 2021 and 2022 and was covered by Maurice (JPN) last spring.
