Imported stayer First Light notched his first Stakes-race victory and his third since coming to Australia when the son of the mighty Dubawi won the G3 Colin Stephen Quality over 2,400m at Rosehill Gardens on Saturday, 28 September.
Patiently ridden by Tommy Berry at the tail of the seven-horse field, First Light sprinted hard down the centre of the track to win by a widening three lengths from a photo-finish between Changingoftheguard and Strathtay.
Bred by Cayton Park Stud out of the Irish mare Anzhelika and now trained at Rosehill by Chris Waller, First Light took his record to five wins and seven placings from 29 starts for prize-money earnings of $409,346.
This victory also made the seven-year-old gelding exempt from the ballot for the G1 The Metropolitan over 2,400m at Royal Randwick on 5 October, when he was handicapped with only 50kg.
Dubawi continues to cast his giant breeding shadow over the world, with First Light his fifth feature-race winner for September.
Nakheel won the G2 Park Hill Stakes at Doncaster, Dilawar won the Listed Grand Prix de la Region Grand Est at Strasbourg, Rebel’s Romance defended his G1 Preis von Europa crown at Cologne and Al Nayyir took the Listed Jockey Club Rose Bowl at Newmarket.
The Darley stallion has sired 1308 winners of a massive 4080 races, including 286 Stakes-race winners of 680 Black-Type events.
Night Of Thunder, Makfi, Poet's Voice, Zarak, New Bay, Too Darn Hot, Time Test and Akeed Mofeed are among his sire sons.
First Light goes $7.50 in to $4.80 with @tabcomau and bursts clear to win the G3 Colin Stephen Quality 🏇💨@cwallerracing @TommyBerry21 pic.twitter.com/6lid4FM6AT
— SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) September 28, 2024
