Beaten into second place when making his career debut at over 1500 metres at Hawkesbury on July 4, the 3yo Fastnet Rock gelding Dambulla made no mistake at his second try with a dominant performance over 1600 metres at Gosford on Thursday.
Hung out on a limb early from his outside barrier, Blake Shinn settled Dambulla on the outside of the pacesetting Nodeel, before setting the gelding to an all-out drive before the home turn.
Quickly disposing of the leader, Dambulla safely held the fast-finishing Zenardini (Bernardini) by a length and a quarter with Not A Biggie (Tavistock) a further three lengths back in third.
Trained by Ciaron
Maher & David Eustace, Dambulla originally made a sale-topping $400,000 at
the 2016 Magic Millions National Yearling Sale but could elicit a bid of no
higher than $150,000 by Dynamic Syndications when offered by Hallmark Stud at
the 2017 NZB Premier Yearling Sale at Karaka.
Bred by Coolmore, Dambulla is a half-brother to Group 1 Caulfield Guineas and Group 1 Yalumba Stakes winner Whobegotyou (Street Cry).
He is the tenth and final foal of the stakes-placed Temple of Peace (JPN) (Carnegie) who hit a home run for Emerald Thoroughbreds Bill Benson who purchased the then eight-year-old mare in foal to Strada, for just $5250 at the 2008 Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale, a year after the yearling Whobegotyou went through the ring.
