Saturday's Bruce Gadsden Handicap (1100m) for two-year-old fillies at Flemington was a bittersweet result for Godolphin as the very promising winner St Edward's Crown is a daughter of resident stallion Epaulette while the second-placed Lesage is the third and final foal of Lonhro's Group 1 Doomben 10000 heroine Beaded.
After finishing second at her first two starts, St Edward's Crown was a deserved winner here.
She was the first to come off the bit but continued to rally under Damien Thornton to score by a short neck from Godolphin's Exceed And Excel filly Lesage with the favoured War Chant (USA) filly Witchfulthinking a long-head back in third. (image Grant Courtney)
Bendigo-based trainer Shane Fliedner said he trains a much-reduced team nowadays but believes St Edward's Crown has the scope to be one of the best he's had.
"She's a really nice filly, she's got real potential," Fliedner said.
"She's a half to Viridine, it's a beautiful family and she's just a lovely type of filly that's got three-year-old written all over her.
"We may give her one more run but then we'll put her away and hopefully get black type early in the spring."
St Edward's Crown is a homebred for Mario and Jenni Cesnik who purchased her dam Patina off Godolphin for just $15,000 at the 2016 Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale when carrying the daughter of Epaulette.
At the time Patina had just one foal to race but the Cesnik's didn't have long to wait to find they had secured a rare bargain.
Patina's Poet's Voice colt Viridine opened his career with four consecutive wins culminating in the Listed Heritage Stakes and the Group II Roman Consul Stakes at Randwick.
Viridine has added a further Listed win and has been stakes-placed numerous times including the Group 1 The Galaxy at Rosehill.
A daughter of Anabaa (USA), Patina has a weanling colt by Frosted (USA) and was covered by Shooting To Win last spring.
Fliedner said Mario Cesnik is his main client.
"Her owner, and breeder, and I have become very good friends," he said
"I've cut my team down over the past few months, half the team's his and the other half is mine."
Saturday's race proved a bit of a bunched finish so it will be interesting to see how the form works out.
If there was a red light from the race it came from Pat Carey's debutant Annie's Missile.
The daughter of Smart Missile was sent off an unloved 80/1 shot but she rattled home last to be beaten just over a length in fifth.
