Prussian Vixen completed a New Year double for Greta West Stud sire King Of Prussia at Caulfield on Saturday.

The precocious mare increased her career earnings to nearly $200,000, including VOBIS bonuses of $47,600, with an on-pace victory in the Mary Lewis Hcp (1100m).

A homebred for Cranbourne trainer Michael Mehegan, she has shrugged off some injury issues that hampered her progress last year.  “We gave her a good spell and I knew she was back to her best after clocking the quickest time of the day in a jump-out last month,” Mehegan said.  “Then she put the writing on the wall with a first-up fourth at Sandown on Xmas Eve.”

Prussian Vixen (4m King Of Prussia – Miss Eileen by Lion Hunter) had showed ability from the outset winning her maiden by five lengths at Mornington and then getting within a tick of the 1200m track-record against older horses at Pakenham.

“She’s tough, always cleans the feed-bin, and has got a bright future this year,” Mehegan predicted.  “She will be better over 1200 metres and there’s a race that will suit at Moonee Valley in a fortnight.”

Her dam Miss Eileen is related to NZ stakes winner Orange Walk (Spectacular Love) and Monarch Prince (Prince Echo) and she won three races in Victoria’s north-east for Mehegan.

King Of Prussia (Anabaa) sired his first winner for 2017 when Russian Rick made all the running in the Meeniyan Hotel Hcp (1000m) at Stony Creek on January 3.

He was on a quick back-up after finishing second at Mornington on New Year’s Day.  “I think he appreciated the turnaround,” jockey Alan Creighton explained.  “That could be the key – he felt much more settled going down to the barriers.

“We had to work to get across but he was still full of running turning for home.  Then he dug in and put them to the sword.”

Russian Rick (4g King Of Prussia – Mukda Moonlight by Mukddaam) is trained at Mornington by Mark Stephenson and had won his maiden at Pakenham in November.  “He’s a real good doer and you wouldn’t know he had gone around twice within 48 hours,” Stephenson said.  “We will get him ready for a Heat of the 55 Second Challenge at Moonee Valley.”

He is raced in partnership by Balnarring farmer Elma Cole who has been breeding winners from the family for four generations.  The best of them has been her Umatilla homebred Manna Miss who was trained by David Hayes to win the Listed Alexander Stakes at Moonee Valley on the same day Lindsay Park hero Fields Of Omagh won his second Cox Plate.