Fantastic five

No fewer than five of Rosehill’s eight Saturday races went the way of Darley-sired runners on 2 Janaury with a double for Lonhro that sees him increase his lead in the third-crop sires’ table ahead of fellow Darley stallion Exceed And Excel.

The progressive four-year-old Pinwheel landed his third consecutive victory in the 1200m handicap, scoring by four-and-a-half lengths to bring his career tally to four wins and two seconds from six starts. His paternal half-sister Renaissance, out of the Canny Lad mare Seances was also recording her third successive win of her campaign when running out the two-and-a-half length winner of the 140om handicap.

Lonhro’s two winners are both trained by Peter Snowden for Sheikh Mohammed and, while retained jockey Kerrin McEvoy was not aboard Renaissance, he was in the plate to steer Strategic four-year-old Brabant to victory to bring up a treble for the stable. This was a first metropolitan victory and third of his career for Brabant, who was bred by Woodlands Stud.

Informality, a four-year-old gelding by Elusive Quality out of Call Me Kathleen (Phone Trick), notched a hat-trick of wins at the end of last season before going on to success over 1200m at Rosehill on 21 November. A step up to 1500m proved well within his compass as he landed his second victory of the season for his breeders, the Pemberton family.

Rosehill’s penultimate contest went the way of the Chris Waller-trained Carnegies Cruzin, a son of Carnegie who was bred in Queensland by A and R Thomas. This was the five-year-old’s first win since talking out back-to-back races at Kembla Grange and Canterbury in July.

Darley sires also notched a hat-trick of victories at Moonee Valley's evening meeting courtesy of Exceed And Excel fillies Hooness and Over Exposed and the Twin Pams Stud-bred Reset three-year-old Eraset, who landed his third consecutive win.