Halibery was a brilliant sprinter in her heyday and she’s on the way to emulating that success for Yarradale Stud.

Tony McEvoy trains her colt Award Of Merit who looked all class winning at Balaklava on Wednesday.  The colt was heavily supported from $4 into $2.60 on debut but favourite punters would have been reeling when he received a hip-and-shoulder shortly after the jump.

“It was a chain-reaction from an inside horse veering out and it knocked him right off balance,” stable manager Jason Robinson said.  “He must have been giving the leaders about 8 lengths on the corner.”

Jockey Dom Tourneur peeled Award Of Merit wide and the colt powered home to score by a half-head over stablemate Bonita Ice in the Jacobs Creek Maiden Plate (1055m)

Yarradale Stud owner Ron Sayers bought Halibery for $45,000 at the 2012 Magic Millions National Sale.  She was in foal to Hard Spun and that filly topped the Yarradale yearling sale earlier this month at $70,000.

Halibery was a Group 2 winner of the 2003 Schillaci Stakes at Caulfield.  She has a filly foal by Yarradale sire War Chant and was bred back to Giant’s Causeway shuttler Frost Giant.

Award Of Merit (2c Medaglia D’Oro – Halibery by Red Ransom) can keep updating the pedigree next month.  “Tony has earmarked the VOBIS Gold Elvstroem Classic (1300m) at Swan Hill on June 6,” Robinson added.  “He’s VOBIS qualified and it’s worth $160,000.”