Jockey Mark Zahra was on a tight timeline but able to get home the quickest in the Group 1 C F Orr Stakes at Caulfield.
Zahra was forced to bypass the interviews after his Group 1 success on Tofane as he was heading to the airport to board a flight to the US to attend the Superbowl on Monday (Australian time).
It was a perfect front running ride from Zahra who guided the Mike Moroney-trained Tofane to her fourth Group 1 win, all over Saturday’s 1400m journey.
A $7.50 chance in betting, Tofane defeated Lighthouse ($10) by 1-½ lengths with Cascadian ($13) a short-neck away third.
While Tofane had been winless in her previous six first-up appearances, Moroney was confident of a forward showing when he saw the mare walk out of her box on Saturday morning.
“She came out this morning and looked really on her game,” Moroney said.
“And it was a really good ride by Mark.
“We thought the three-year-old (Lightsaber) would lead and we’d go and sit outside it and if something wanted to come around three-wide, we’d get in the running line.
“But the three-year-old was slow away and she was never going to be beaten from a long way out.”
While Tofane has raced well during the spring in the past, Moroney pointed out that all the mares Group 1 wins had come post-Christmas.
Tofane won the All-Aged Stakes at the Sydney Autumn Carnival in 2020 before winning twice at the Brisbane Winter Carnival last year.
“I think if you look at her record she is always better after Christmas,” Moroney said.
“Mares generally are. She’s got the dapples out in her coat now.
“She had a pretty short break in Queensland, and she was tired which was disappointing going into that Group 1, the mares race in the spring.
“She’s done a really good job to recuperate because they don’t get a lot of time between the spring and the autumn, so a great job by her.”
Moroney said Tofane would head to the Group 1 Futurity Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield on February 26 after which a decision will be made on whether she heads to Sydney.
“Sydney would be her swansong I would say and then she will go through the sales, at Magic Millions,” Moroney said.
