How can Darley’s current crop of two year-olds better the benchmark set by Sepoy and Helmet last season?

It’s a tough call but they have to start somewhere and Tatra took the first step when he won the Manildra Group Hcp (1100m) at Rosehill on Saturday.

Tatra (2c Hussonet – Slovakia by Danzig) had defeated G3 Breeders’ Plate winner Pierro in a Canterbury trial last month and was backed into a $1.80 favourite on debut.  

Jockey Josh Parr settled Tatra on the fence behind the front-runners before shouldering into the clear.  Fastnet Rock filly Sherocksmyworld got first run in the straight but was always in sight of the winner.

“The Darley horses are just a step above the opposition,” Parr confirmed.  “It took a while but class got him over the line.”

Tatra also has a class edge in the pedigree department being a son of Arrowfield champion Hussonet and his dam comes from a family that has served Darley so well in recent years.

Slovakia (USA) is a sister to Sheikh Mohammed’s French G1 winner Librettist and a half-sister to his Royal Ascot G1 winner Dubai Destination (Kingmambo).

Sheikh Mohammed sent Slovakia to Australia in June 2006.  She was on the same flight as Helmet’s dam Accessories!