Turffontein filly Fontiton jumped brilliantly from an inside gate and then blitzed her rivals by six lengths in the RL Inglis Banner (1000m) at Moonee Valley on Saturday.

The time was a slick 58.29 seconds for the $250,000 event for new season two year-olds nominated for the Inglis Race Series.

“That really was awesome,” trainer Robert Smerdon said.  “She was in work just to get some early education and development but handled it so well we continued on and we’ve ended up at the races without ever expecting her to be an early two-year-old type.

“She’s got good height and scope about her for a filly and we expect her to stretch out to hopefully 1600 metres.  Maybe this time next year she will be a Thousand Guineas filly.”

Fontiton (2f Turffontein – Personal Ensign by Rubiton) is owned by Matchem Racing manager Matthew Cain, Inglis Bloodstock consultant James Price and Vasko Ognenovski who won a 10% share through a Herald Sun newspaper promotion.

The winner was purchased for $110,000 from the draft of Blue Gum Farm at the 2014 Inglis Melbourne Premier yearling sale.  Her dam Personal Ensign was a Listed winner of the 2006 Northwood Plume Stakes at Caulfield and she’s bred on the same Turffontein / Rubiton cross as Smerdon’s top three-year-old filly Fontein Ruby.

Turffontein (Johannesburg) leads the Australian second-season premiership and he has Fontein Ruby lining up in the G2 Wakeful Stakes (2000m) and G1 VRC Oaks Stakes (2500m) at Flemington next week.

Blue Gum Farm stands Turffontein for a $7,700 (inc gst) fee.