Shamus Award has reinforced his position as the top three-year-old in Australia with a thrilling victory in the G1 VRC Australian Guineas (1600m) at Flemington.

Shamus Award (3c Snitzel – Sunset Express by Success Express) won the G1 Cox Plate as a maiden in October and he produced a similar front-running performance at headquarters on Saturday.  He scored by a length from Criterion (Sebring) and Thunder Fantasy (Lucky Owners).

“To win the Cox Plate as a three-year-old then to come back and win the Guineas puts him in very rare air,” trainer Danny O’Brien said.  “There’s a 50-50 chance we will back him up in the Australian Cup next Saturday.”

Arrowfield stallion Snitzel sired him from a half-sister to Singapore Group 2 winner Ghozi (Catbird) and he’s developed into a red-hot stallion prospect for owners Sean Buckley and Viv Oldfield.  They bought him from the draft of Vinery Stud for $230,000 at the 2012 Inglis Easter yearling sale and he has now earned over $2.45 million.

After backing up in the Australian Cup, Shamus Award will go to Sydney for the G1 Rosehill Guineas and G1 Queen Elizabeth Stakes.

O’Brien is already planning ahead for another spring campaign.  “We’ve definitely got another Cox Plate prep in mind,” he said.  “We saw So You Think do it and we will try and do the same.”