Trainer David Hayes' remarkable run of success across Australia on Saturday, which netted the operation six winners, resembled the stable of decades gone by, when he and his father would make clean sweeps of race meetings across the country.
Strategy: Craig Williams rides Miss Promiscuity to victory at Caulfield. Photo: Getty Images
Included in that bag of winners was the brave performance of Miss Promiscuity in the $250,000 VOBIS Gold Sprint at Caulfield.
Hayes collected a winning treble after the deeds of Valliano and Red Bomber earlier in the day at Caulfield, plus interstate successes in Sydney and Adelaide, giving the stable six victories in all.
But thanks to a strategy arranged by the trainer and jockey, Miss Promiscuity was successful when it was decided to ride the mare more conservatively.
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"She's got a really good finish on her, but it was just a matter of timing it properly and leaving it until into the straight," jockey Craig Williams said.
He said Miss Promiscuity had natural speed and brilliance, but it was a matter of regulating when to let her go.
"So we just eased back on her, and the final 200 metres was excellent, and that made all the difference," he said.
While Miss Promiscuity was successful, Newmarket Handicap winner The Quarterback may have been unlucky finishing in third position.
Starting at $3.40 favourite, The Quarterback finished well, but never appeared a realistic chance of success in the closing stages.
"We were happy with that – we said all along that the horse will be back in the field, and that was never going to make it easy. As it turned out we hit a traffic jam at the top of the straight, and while the horse was getting through that problem, Miss Promiscuity and Jalan Jalan were getting away from us. So all up, we were happy enough with the run," trainer Robbie Griffiths said.
The Quarterback will leave for Adelaide early next month to start in the Goodwood Handicap, and from there the sprinter will be flown to England to compete in the King Stand Stakes at Royal Ascot in June.
Miss Promiscuity will also head to Adelaide, for the group 1 Sangster Stakes at Morphettville, also in early May.
"She's racing in great heart and she's certainly earned a crack at group 1 company. Today she was pitted against a Newmarket winner and not that well off at the weights, but still managed to beat him. In the Sangster she'll come back to mares only, and I think she'll be ideally suited over there," Hayes said.
Thermal Current appeared to lose momentum with 300m to go when he was blocked for a run, however, he managed to pick himself up over the final 100m to be fourth.
Jalan Jalan, another on-pace galloper, boxed on well to be second at $8.50, and will also be suited in weaker company in the next six weeks.
Meanwhile, trainer John Sadler, who won the $250,000 Gold Reef Stakes at Caulfield with up-and-coming three-year-old Bengal Cat, said he considered the success an emotional one.
Ridden by his son Tom, Bengal Cat also earned a trip to Adelaide in the next few weeks to contest group races, after making it two wins in just seven days.
"A lot of my family are here today. It's a great win having Tom on board, and the owners have been very loyal and supportive, so it was a great win all around," Sadler said.
"I don't think she's going to be a real stayer but, at the same time, 1800 metres is well within her grasp, and I think she's going to be very competitive over in Adelaide.
"She's in a good mindset at the moment, she's enjoying her racing, and I think she'll be competitive wherever she goes."
As much as $4 was bet on Bengal Cat, but eventually that price firmed into $3.10 and she proved too strong for Unbreakable at $16, with Tarquin battling away to be third at $3.70.