Jaminzah moved Master Of Design off the mark this season with a whirlwind victory in the Jockey Celebration Day Plate (1600m) at Flemington on Saturday.

And it was appropriate Stephen Baster should win on the improving miler for trainer Chris Waller.  He is President of the Victorian Jockeys Association and had just returned from a Kokoda Trail fund-raiser for the National Jockey Trust and Mark Hughes Foundation.

“It’s great to be back and it’s great to win for Mr Waller,” Baster said.  “This horse deserved to win – he ran really well when second at Sandown last month.”

Waller informed stewards Jaminzah would be ridden closer on Saturday but those plans went awry when Gold Fields set fast fractions in front.  Baster was more than a dozen lengths off the pace at the halfway point but didn’t panic.  He tracked Andrea Mantegna into the straight and then let the winner down with a brilliant finishing burst.

“You could argue his best form is at a mile so we stayed at 1600m,” Waller explained.  “We stayed with the same jockey, too and I thought he would be hard to beat.”

Jaminzah is a graduate of the 2015 VOBIS Gold Sale and has now earned $127,950 including VOBIS Bonuses of $20,500.  The Master of Design gelding was bred and sold by Portland couple Ian and Vicki Bell from their mare Sarchi Lodge (Grand Lodge).

She has a Master Of Design 2yo filly with Ballarat owner David Speechley and a Master Of Design filly who is eligible for the 2018 VOBIS Gold Sale at Oaklands.

Master Of Design (pictured) will cover his first book at Greta West Stud this year for a $5,500 (inc gst) service fee.  A Group 1 winning son of Redoute’s Choice, he sired the winners of 36 races in 2016-17 to claim Champion Victorian second-season honours in that category from Helmet (34) and Moshe (32).