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Tom Marquand wastes no time in landing big prize on latest stint in Oz

Prague (second left) and Tom Marquand win the Group 3 Pago Pago Stakes at Rosehill
Prague (second left) and Tom Marquand win the Group 3 Pago Pago Stakes at RosehillCredit: Jenny Evans (Getty Images)

Fresh from winning on his final British ride at Kempton on Wednesday before heading for his latest stint in Australia, Tom Marquand landed the Group 3 Pago Pago Stakes on the Ciaron Maher/David Eustace-trained Prague at Rosehill on Saturday.

Prague, who stayed on well to win by a length and a half, secured a spot in next Saturday's Group 1 Golden Slipper Stakes.

Marquand told racing.com: "Clearly he has got an exceptional amount of ability. He has still got untapped potential in the way he went through the last couple of furlongs and he's still not quite finished.

"He's a lovely, big horse and he's not done an awful lot of racing, so there is no reason why he shouldn't handle backing up in the Golden Slipper."

Con Te Partiro (red, centre) and Tim Clark land the Group 1 Coolmore Classic at Rosehill
Con Te Partiro (red, centre) and Tim Clark land the Group 1 Coolmore Classic at RosehillCredit: Jenny Evans (Getty Images)

Con Te Partiro comes out of retirement to land Group 1

The Gai Waterhouse/Adrian Bott-trained Con Te Partiro landed the $600,000 (£300,000) Group 1 Coolmore Classic on the same card.

The winner of the 2017 Sandringham Handicap at Royal Ascot when trained by Wesley Ward and ridden by Jamie Spencer, Con Te Partiro joined the Waterhouse/Bott stable in May 2019 and won on her first start for new new stable.

However, the six-year-old mare then went four races without a win and was sent to the breeding sheds, but failed to become pregnant.

The daughter of Scat Daddy was brought back into training and, after finishing sixth in a Group 2 at Randwick last month, she won the first Group 1 of her career when springing a 20-1 shock under Timothy Clark in the 7½f Group 1 handicap.

Bott told racing.com: "She can be a bit quirky at times, but we have just kept her in her routine and the team that has worked with her have done a fantastic job because she can be high maintenance at times."

Bott added that Con Te Partiro could now be aimed at next month's Group 1 Doncaster Mile or the Group 1 Coolmore Legacy Stakes.


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Paul FielderJournalist

Published on 14 March 2020inInternational

Last updated 15:38, 14 March 2020

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