Man From Uncle has stamped himself as the horse to beat in the 2017 Randwick Guineas after posting his second-consecutive black type win in the Group 2 Hobartville Stakes (1400m) this afternoon.
Man From Uncle pipped Echo Effect on the line to win the Group 2 Hobartville Stakes this afternoon. Photo: Steve Hart
Man From Uncle was an upset winner of the Group 3 Eskimo Prince Stakes (1200m) a fortnight ago and appeared to be against the odds this afternoon when he struggled to load into the barriers.
Jumping from the gates well when the Hobartville Stakes eventually got underway, the Uncle Mo gelding took an ideal position second on the fence, as Echo Effect strode out and took an early two-length lead.
Taking a few strides to find full speed upon arriving at the final chase, Man From Uncle took the entire length of the Rosehill straight to hunt down Echo Effect and won the race by the bob of a head in a photo finish.
Man From Uncle stamped himself as one to watch through a short debut campaign in spring last year and ended the season with a credible performance for third in the Listed Hilton Stakes (1400m) on November 5th.
Echo Effect has posted three race wins through his seven career starts so far, but undoubtedly produced his best effort to date in the Hobartville Stakes this afternoon.
Arguably the most eye-catching run of the Hobartville Stakes was Comin’ Through, who worked home well to finish third.
A brother to multiple Group 1 champion Criterion, Comin’ Through ended his debut campaign with a smart win in the Group 3 Carbine Club Stakes (1600m) on Derby Day and will surely prove extremely tough to beat in the Group 1 Randwick Guineas in a fortnight, upon returning to his pet distance.
Godolphin runner Bryneich also improved significantly from his second-up run for seventh in the Eskimo Prince Stakes to finish fourth in the Hobartville Stakes.
