Back on a firm track, Godolphin's Exceed And Excel colt Bivouac turned the tables on his San Domenico Stakes conqueror Exceedance in Saturday's Group II Run To The Rose (1200m) at Rosehill Gardens.
With Josh Parr taking over the reins from an injured Hugh Bowman, Bivouac with blinkers off, sat up on the hot speed set by Hightail and kept up a relentless gallop to defeat the Rubick colt Yes Yes Yes by two lengths with a long head to the striking looking Exceed And Excel colt Exceedance in third. (images Steve Hart).
"He's a rocket ship isn't he?" Parr told AAP.
"I found my position really comfortably in what looked to be a tricky race on paper. I was confident a very long way from home.
"It was a very good decision by the team at Godolphin to remove the blinkers.
"He's a very high energy horse. We know he can go fast and he's done it today without the blinkers and he's absolutely donkey-licked a very classy field of horses."
Godolphin
representative Darren Beadman said removing the blinkers may have been the
winning move. 
"I think it was a masterstroke by James taking the blinkers off," he said.
"He probably needed them early days but he is a lot more switched on now.
"I think getting that consistency into his rhythm, his galloping and breathing, he was a very happy horse."
A hugely impressive winner of the Group III Vain Stakes at Caulfield back on August 17, the James Cummings-trained three-year-old advances his overall record to 4 2 1 from 8 starts with earnings of $488,700.
He has been made equal favourite for the $1 million Golden Rose on the same track on September 28.
A homebred for Godolphin, Bivouac is a three-quarter brother to the 4-time Group 1 winner Guelph, Bivouac out of the More Than Ready (USA) mare Dazzler who won her first two starts at Geelong and Flemington in an 11-start career.
Dazzler is a half-sister to Guelph and the Group II ATC Todman Stakes winner Ghibellines out of Elusive Quality's Group 1 AJC Sires' Produce Stakes winner Camarilla who had just four foals before her tragic death in October 2012.
Dazzler's first foal Coruscate (Exceed Abd Excel), a full brother to Bivouac was a 4-time winner and placed in the Group II ATC Skyline Stakes and Group III ATC Pago Pago Stakes.
She has a yearling filly by Medaglia D'Oro (USA) and was covered by Lonhro last spring.
