The Wingman and Pillar Of Creation booked their tickets towards the Swettenham Stud Summer Championship Final with hard-fought victories at Caulfield on January 4.
They won divisions of the Equiano Speed Yearlings Hcp which doubled as Heat 5 and 6 of the Series.
THE WINGMAN (8g Montjeu – Pan For Glitter by Crafty Prospector) arrived with a well-timed finish under Damien Oliver to defeat Galileo Gold by a neck. The Aquanita gelding earned 10 points while the runner-up went to the top of the table after earning 8 points.
Galileo Gold was fourth to Prince of Penzance in Heat 2 of the Series at Moonee Valley on December 28. The Doug Harrison trained galloper heads the table on 14 points.
The Wingman was a $100,000 buy at the 2007 Inglis Easter yearling sale and the hardy customer has now won 9 races and $352,000. He is by deceased Coolmore Stud shuttler Montjeu and is a half-brother to Natural Woman (Generous) who won 8 races up to G3 level in the BTC Doomben Roses.
PILLAR OF CREATION (4g God’s Own – Cosmic Dust by Hurricane Sky) is a homebred for Contract Racing’s David Moodie. He settled on the pace and set out after front-runner Free Of Doubt to score by a half-length.
“We deliberately targeted the summer months to get his confidence up,” co-trainer Simon Zahra said at Caulfield. “He lost the plot a little bit at Flemington last time but was nice and calm today. He hit the line really well and there’s a nice race in him this year.”
His dam Cosmic Dust is a sister to Slipstream who carried Contract Racing’s colours to Listed victories at Moonee Valley (2) and Flemington.
Pillar Of Creation is by Greta West Stud’s Group 1 winning sire God’s Own (Redoute’s Choice). Master trainer Bart Cummings predicted God’s Own would make a sire ‘given time’ and he’s living up to those expectations in third place on the Victorian premiership this season.
The Swettenham Stud Summer Championship Final will be run at Caulfield on February 1. More information on the Swettenham Stud Summer Championship is available here