Caught three and four wide the trip, the 4-year-old Written Tycoon gelding Despatch refused to buckle in a driving finish to Saturday's Group III D C McKay Stakes (1100m) at Morphettville.
Drawn the outside of the eight starters, Barend Vorster was hung out to dry but once Despatch found the front in the straight he kept up a strong gallop to defeat Zalmona (Good Journey) by a long-neck with Haunted (Lonhro) a neck back in third.
It was the
third consecutive win for the Tony McEvoy trained gelding and it was also his third
stakes win to advance his record to 6 wins and 1 third from 10 starts with
earnings of $472,685.
Assistant trainer Calvin McEvoy at the $750,000 Group 1 The Goodwood (1200m) in a fortnight is on the radar.
"What a good run. He was caught wide which we thought might happen but Barend with all of his experience took his medicine and he was really strong late," McEvoy told racing.com.
"We thought if he won here today and won well that we'd have to consider giving him a chance at the Goodwood."
Pinhooked by Baramul Stud's Paul and Amanda Thompson for $40,000 out of the Woodside Park draft at the 2015 National Weanling Sale Select Session, the son of Written Tycoon was consigned by Baramul Stud to the 2016 Adelaide Yearling Sale where she was knocked down to McEvoy Mitchell Racing for $195,000.
He is the fourth foal and the third winner out of the 3-time Sydney winner Zoccoletta (Fasliyev) who is a daughter of the smart racemare Vita (Thunder Gulch) who won the Group III AJC Fernhill Hcp and Listed TL Baillieu Hcp.
Zoccoletta died in March 2015 and Despatch is her final foal.
Despatch is one of 28 stakes-winners by Written Tycoon who will be covering at a fee of $110,000 at Woodside Park this spring.
