Melbourne has been like a home away from home for Rick Worthington this season.  

The Warwick Farm horseman trains born-again galloper Whitefriars and he’s also basking in the reflected glory of rejuvenated sprinter Grand Duels.

Whitefriars made it two Melbourne features in as many starts in the G2 Australia Stakes at Moonee Valley on Friday night.  He had scored a breakthrough victory in the G2 Salinger Stakes at Flemington during the Melbourne Cup carnival.

Worthington also had a hand in the breeding of Grand Duels who completed a Melbourne hat-trick in the LR Kensington Stakes at Flemington on January 22.

Grand Duels is by Marechal who was a Rosehill stakes winner for Worthington.  He retired Marechal to Riverdene Stud in NSW and is the Danzero horse is now based at Riverside Thoroughbreds in Queensland.

Whitefriars and Grand Duels are both bound for Caulfield’s Group 1 carnival next month.  Whitefriars has the Orr Stakes in his sights and Grand Duels is being set for the Oakleigh Plate.

Whitefriars (5g Arena – Alsatia by Danehill) sat at the girth of Undeniably (Fastnet Rock) in the Australia Stakes and then toughed out a short head victory over the front-runner.  Class mares Typhoon Tracy and Ortensia ran on to finish fourth and fifth respectively.

Whitefriars is by Danehill’s Victorian Derby winner Arena who stands at Lomar Park Stud.  He was purchased by Worthington and owner Ross Smyth-Kirk for $80,000 at the 2007 Inglis Classic yearling sale.  

Whitefriars looked a readymade racehorse when he won a Canberra juvenile by seven lengths on debut in January 2008 but the flashy chestnut lost his way with just one more win during his three and four year-old seasons.

Since being gelded last year, Whitefriars hasn’t been out of a place in seven starts.  Worthington went back and bought his younger half-brother by Valixir for $40,000 at the 2010 Inglis Classic Sale earlier this year.  He has been named Bouverie Street.

Little Plains Stud will offer another close relation to Whitefriars at the 2011 Melbourne Premier yearling sale.  The Churchill Downs filly (Lot 644) is from a half-sister to his dam Alsatia.