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Australian trainer Cliff Brown quinellaed the $70,000 Class 3 race over 1400m with Gold Star and Filibuster on Friday night, with a third runner Diamond Beauty not far away in fourth.
Coming off a muddling-run race, the small nine-horse field could be covered with a blanket as they bunched up for the final showdown.
Pack leader Filibuster (Juan Paul van der Merwe) was still holding sway at the furlong pole, but eventually buckled when stablemate Gold Star (Patrick Moloney) burst through to land the spoils under hands-and-heels riding.
Half-a-length split the two Browns' at the photo. Quarter Back (Louis-Philippe Beuzelin) momentarily loomed as a threat on the outside, but had to settle for third minor prize another three parts of a length away.
Backed down to $12 favouritism, Gold Star , a four-year-old by Redente who was at his 13th start, clocked 1min 22.51secs for the 1400m on the Long Course. A model of consistency, he has now scored three wins, five seconds and one third from 13 starts for stakes earnings around the $180,000 mark for the Gold Stable.
An entry for next Friday's Group 2 Stewards' Cup (1600m), Federation had every chance for John Powell camping outside Filibuster in the running, but weakened out of it to beat one home for a result which would not greatly help his cause in getting a run in the second Leg of the Singapore Four-Year-Old Challenge.
"That was a good win. He's got a short sprint and Pat Moloney rode him good," said Brown.
"He's a horse who keeps progressing. I'll probably look for a similar Class 3 race over either 1200m or 1400m for him.
"Filibuster ran very well, too, and the other mare (Diamond Beauty with Vlad Duric up) also ran on nicely for fourth.
"It's a nice stable quinella, I'm very happy with that."
Moloney's last three winners (Pax Animi and Don De La Vega were the other two) from his tally of five 2020 winners have all come for Brown.
"I was a bit concerned by the lack of speed in the race, but the horse jumped well and got into a lovely spot," said the Australian jockey.
"We were in a one-one spot, but they went slowly and they were three wide in front of me. It can either be a blessing or a hindrance.
"We got held up, but he was gutsy enough to take the gap, and showed a good turn of foot. I didn't even have to pull the whip on him."
