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Winning Partner lands Balaklava Cup.
Former Darley shuttler Dawn Approach (New Approach) was handed his 12th stakes winner and fourth in Australia when the Tony and Calvin McEvoy-trained Winning Partner (5 g ex Lady Frere by Johannesburg) landed the Balaklava Cup (Listed, 1600m) on Wednesday.
Winning Partner surged clear in the closing stages to beat Analytica (Shocking) by a length and a half, while the winner's stablemate Savatoxl (Kuroshio) was another length and a quarter away in third.
The victory handed the training partnership their second win in the race in as many years having sent out Brown Ben (Big Brown) to win the Listed contest 12 months ago, while Tony was tasting success in the race for the third time having saddled Longshoreman (Longhorn) to victory in 2014.
"He is in such good form and deserved a race like this," Tony McEvoy said. "He has promised it for so long and you can see what he can do today.
"He got a bit further back than was expected, but he unleashed very quickly. (Racing on a good surface) is the key to him, he does not like getting his toes in.
"But he is a promising horse with more to come."
McEvoy said the gelding would now be aimed at the Murray Bridge Gold Cup (Listed, 1600m) on October 16.
The gelding was purchased by his trainer for $110,000 at the Magic Millions Adelaide Yearling Sale from the Glenelg Park draft and he is one of three winners out of the winning Johannesburg (Hennessy) mare Lady Frere, who died in 2016.
Lady Frere herself is a half-sister to Listed winner General Peekay (General Nediym), while further afield this is the same family as Balmoral Beau (Don't Say Halo).
Dawn Approach shuttled to Australia for five seasons and now stands exclusively at the operation's Kildangan Stud in Ireland where his fee in 2020 was advertised as €10,000.
