'A phenomenal payday' - Highclere's Durston lands Caulfield Cup

Victory for Durston in the prestigious Caulfield Cup provided Highclere Racing with one of the biggest winners in the syndicate's 30-year history – and it came following a "phenomenal recovery" from key setbacks.

The son of Sea The Moon was bought by Highclere as a two-year-old maiden following a recommendation from bloodstock agent Alastair Donald that he could one day develop into an ideal type to race in Australia.

Yet his four-year-old season, when trained in Britain by David Simcock, was curtailed due to a setback after just one disappointing run. Durston endured another blip which connections feared could end his racing career shortly after a win at Caulfield last October, his first success since moving to Australia.

Durston was given ten months off to recover and had showed major improvement throughout this season. He was first reserve in Saturday's race but took full advantage when gifted the opportunity to run in the A$5 million contest, as Michael Dee delivered the perfect hold-up ride to beat Gold Trip by a head.

"I'm absolutely over the moon," said Highclere's racing manager Harry Herbert. "The Caulfield Cup is such an iconic race, to win it is unbelievable.

Harry Herbert: 'I'm absolutely over the moon'Credit: Edward Whitaker

"When I first went down to Australia about 18 or 19 years ago I got the bug for races like this and the Melbourne Cup, and those were the races we've been trying to find the right horse to win with.

"Alastair Donald recommended him to us as a two-year-old, he said to take a look at the horse's run when second at Nottingham [in November 2018] as he could be one to consider for Australia. It's a bit novel to buy a two-year-old and market him to Australia, his pedigree suggested he'd stay and I liked the look of his form.

"We weren't sure if he could stand training at one stage. He needed a lot of time, which he's been given, and he's made a phenomenal recovery."

The Chris Waller-trained gelding has now secured his place in the Melbourne Cup and is as short as 12-1 for Australia's most famous race, set to be run on November 1.

Herbert hailed the opportunity of a live contender in the race as a "great thrill" for his team of British and Australian-based owners, while Durston's breeder Kirsten Rausing will also hope to be responsible for another huge winner on the global stage, a month on from Alpinista's Arc win.

Herbert added: "Chris was pretty confident he'd run a big race, he has a high opinion of the horse. The jockeys that have been ridden him called him the real deal.

"It's such a thrill and a phenomenal payday for all involved. Hopefully we can get through the next few weeks and line up for the biggie!"

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