Attica capped a golden day for Godolphin colts and his departed stallion, Lonhro, while stamping himself a stud-bound star of the future with a breathtaking victory in the Oct. 25 Spring Champion Stakes (G1) at Randwick Racecourse.
Sent out as an AU$4 second-favorite at the fourth start of his first preparation, the Joe Pride-trained colt faced an almighty challenge at the top of the straight.
Settling third-last of the 13 after drawing wide for Adam Hyeronimus, the son of star Godolphin mare Savatiano was still 10 lengths off the lead as he commenced a run at the 600 meters (approx. 3 furlongs).
Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott's $3.20 favorite Shangri La Boy had sat second for Nash Rawiller as longshot Tambeloa set just a middling pace, and when Rawiller eased to the front at the 300 meters, his mount looked full of running.
Attica emerged from the pack as the most threatening chaser but still had three lengths to make up at the 200 meters, but under desperate riding from Hyeronimus, he resolutely ran down his quarry, defeating the gallant Shangri La Boy by 0.3 lengths.
Chris Waller's filly The Pearls nabbed a group 1 placing for her CV in running a 2.8 length third at $21, while Tameloa clung on for fourth at $201.
Handed to Pride when Godolphin switched to a public training model for this season onwards, Attica debuted with a 1,400-meter Warwick Farm maiden win Sept. 3 before a Kembla Grange class 1 second and a breakthrough black type victory in the Dulcify Stakes Oct. 4.
Pride gave him a top-up trial last Friday, and was awestruck by what he saw in the Spring Champion, as Godolphin racked their second group 1 success under their new model, following the Waller-trained Beiwacht's Golden Rose (G1) win.
"I was worried. I thought the race was over," Pride said of his feelings at the top of the straight.
"You see Nash kick them away like that, it's going to be a big effort to run them down. And I don't think Shangri La Boy stopped—I think my horse has found what he needed to.
"We can't get carried away, it's early on in his life, but I've never had one win a group 1 in their first preparation, so it's pretty special."
Pride said Attica hadn't yet been "made" as a stallion, saying "we're partway there" and expressing the hope he could adapt to a short trip in chasing the Randwick Guineas (G1) in the autumn, after a spell following the Spring Champion win.
"He's just a really exciting horse and I just can't wait for the autumn," he said.
