Strait Acer had been working the house down since a last-start victory at Rosehill and he was even more impressive going back-to-back in a $120,000 Midway Hcp ( 1400m) at Randwick on Saturday.

The 4yo son of Vinery Stud sire Headwater is trained by Edward Cummings and was dominant in the hands of Jason Collett.  “When I let him go, he put them away easily with that turn of foot,” Collett claimed.  “He’s shown glimpses before but is really coming together as a racehorse now.  He can get over 1600m and, ridden conservatively, even out to 2000m.”

Strait Acer is one of 150 individual winners by Headwater and his dam Money Wanted (Wanted) has another Headwater gelding entered for the NZB Ready To Run 2YO Sale at Karaka on November 22 and 23.  Their second-dam is a three-quarter sister to the dam Fastnet Rock.

Bred by Vinery Stud team member Kate Curran, he was sold as a foal by Vinery (as agent) for $20,000 at the 2020 Inglis Australian Weanling Sale.  With earnings of $193,000 to date, that was a bargain and Cummings expects more improvement this season.

“He’s going well.  He keeps finding and he’s tough.  We will take our time selecting his next race.  It might be over 1600m but I’m looking forward to bigger opportunities at the spring carnival.”

So is co-trainer Richard Jolly following Keep Reading’s front-running victory in the Adelaide Galvanising Industries Hcp (1050m) four hours later at Morphettville.  The Headwater 5yo has earned over $250,000 purely from non-black type prizemoney.

“He’s a very consistent horse and would have won a couple more with good gates,” Jolly said.  “He’s a fantastic beginner and I told Jake (Toeroek) to punch him out of the barriers and hopefully get a couple of easy sectionals.  I knew he would kick and sustain it.”

Keep Reading came home the final 600m in 33.81s and he will now go to the Listed Wylie Hcp (1100m) at Morphettville on September 16.

Jolly and his daughter Chantelle have great strike-rate with the Headwater stock.  Keep Reading was a $26,000 graduate of Vinery Stud’s draft to the 2019 Magic Millions National Foal Sale where he was purchased by Hong Kong agent David Price.

His dam Madame Bookworm (Publishing) is a winning half-sister to Listed Singapore Juvenile Championship winner Mystic Master (Snippetson) and she’s also the dam of Hong Kong-based Star Club (Star Turn) who was placed second-up at Sha tin in May.  He’s been trotting and swimming at Conghua for new trainer David Hall in readiness for the 2023-24 season starting next Sunday, September 10.

Headwater (Exceed And Excel) stands for a $13,200 (inc GST) service fee at Vinery payable on a live foal.  For bookings or further information, contact Adam White (0414 800 918) or Harry Roach (0401 970 006).