Imported stayer Gear Up showed the toughness and tenacity of the Teofilo breed when he wore down Mankayan after a titanic length-of-the-straight battle to win the Listed Victoria Gold Cup at Caulfield on Saturday, 16 March.
Second-up from a spell with Jamie Mott in the saddle, Gear Up raced outside Mankayan for the entire 2,000m trip before winning by a nose, with Carini 1.3 lengths away in third place.
A G1 winner in France four years ago when trained by Jim Bolger, Gear Up recorded his fourth Stakes win and his first since coming to Australia at the end of 2022 to join the Annabel Neasham yard.
Out of the US mare Gearanai, Gear Up took his record to six wins and three placings from 21 starts for prize money earnings of A$559,114.
Unbeaten during his short racing career in Ireland and England, Teofilo continues to sire Black-Type staying winners all over the world.
The stallion has 24 G1 winners – including Melbourne Cup winners Twilight Payment, Cross Counter and Without A Fight – and has 113 individual Stakes race winners of 234 Black-Type races.
Just last month, Naval Power (Emirates Rewards) won the G2 Singspiel Stakes over 1,800m at Meydan in Dubai.
