Yulong Prince benefitted from the fierce early speed to finish best of all in Saturday’s Cantala Stakes (1600m) at Flemington.
With fellow import Buffalo River setting a suicidal speed to the home turn, Yulong Prince was a little worse than midfield at the home turn having raced three wide to the turn but ready to come with his challenge under Damian Lane.
Given his early exertions Buffalo River was a spent force 400m out and the race was left to the closers, Yulong Prince finishing powerfully to reach the lead inside the final 100m and then hold off the late rally from Godolphin’s Cascadian (New Approach) to score by half a neck with Rock (Pierro) close up third. (pic: Racing Photos)
Yulong Prince won the Gr1 Daily News 2000 at Greyville when racing as Surcharge and now races in the green and white livery of Yuesheng Zhang’s Yulong Investments and his the first Gr1 winner for him in Australia.
A six-year-old son of the Australian-nred Gimmiethegreenlight, Yulong Prince is now the winner of eight of his 28 starts, five of them at stakes level.
Lane said the Chris Waller-trained Yulong Prince was suited by the fast tempo set by Buffalo River.
“It worked out good. He didn’t step that great so from there I did need some tempo and with the nice tracking he really let rip off that tempo,” Lane said.
“I could hear ‘Ollie’s’ yelling (Cascadian), his very distinctive voice coming from behind and normally once you hear him he gets you,
“It was good that he (Yulong Prince) knuckled down and fought it out for the win. I got a rare one up on him there.”