Melbourne, November 13 – Bred and offered for sale by Yarraman Park, talented stayer Viking Hero stormed home for a powerful win in the Group III MRC Eclipse Stakes at rain soaked Sandown on Saturday.

The Mike Moroney trained son of Elvstroem had been thereabouts in three previous runs since resuming from a spell and was overdue for a win.

He zoomed home from a clear last on the home turn for Mark Zahra to win the 1800 metre contest by a length and a half, posting his first legitimate Black Type success having lost a win in the Listed VRC Myer Fashion Stakes last spring when a protest against him was upheld.

“He just hates it when horses come near him,” Zahra said.

“He can be a bit erratic and on the bend I wanted to hold the back of Ben Melham on Davcon but as soon as Niblick came out a touch, he got his head on the side.

“I was going to run last at the top of the straight until he got into his own little zone. I put a couple of hard ones around his bum and he finished all over them.”

Winning trainer Mike Moroney said the stable “tossed and turned” over its decision to run Viking Hero on the heavy Sandown surface but the gamble paid off.

Moroney said he would meet with the gelding’s owners before mapping out a plan for the rest of the four-year-old’s preparation.

A $160,000 purchase from the Yarraman Park draft at the 2008 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale, Viking Hero was bred by Yarraman and has won two races and more than $150,000 in prizemoney.

He is a half-brother to metropolitan winner Gypsy Googol, being from the well-related Zabeel mare Gypsy Dollar, a half-sister to Group One AJC Australian Derby winner Innocent King and also Girl’s Paradise, the grand-dam of Group One winning filly Unearthly, who is by Gypsy Dollar’s sire Zabeel.

Gypsy Dollar was represented by another smart winner last weekend with Stratum filly Manzanilla breaking her maiden at Geelong by three and a half lengths, a good result as she has foaled this spring again to Stratum, this time a colt.

Classy staying mare Exceptionally nearly made it a stakes double for Yarraman Park graduates when she finished a gallant second to the old marvel Zipping in the Group II Sandown Classic.

Bred by Shadwell, Exceptionally was foaled in New Zealand and then sent back to Australia to Yarraman Park and carries our well known J brand.

She was offered by Yarraman Park at the 2007 MM National Weanling Sale where she was astutely purchased by Gary Mudgway and Kylie Wood’s Grange Thoroughbreds for $4,500, who successfully re-sold her as a yearling to her current owners.