Sydney, February 28 – In-form Catbird gelding Monton upstaged his more fancied rivals to score a shock win in the Group Two STC Hobartville Stakes over 1400 metres at Rosehill on Saturday to the great delight of his large group of owners led by Sydney bloodstock agent David Lamond.
The Tim Martin trained three year-old had won two of his three previous runs, but was not expected to trouble the likes of boom colts Manhattan Rain and More Than Great.
Ridden a treat by Jay Ford from barrier one, Monton (pictured courtesy Steve Hart) enjoyed the run of the race and kicked strongly in the straight to shake off the challenge of race favourite Manhattan Rain, who wilted shortly thereafter, leaving the Queensland trained duo Shoot Out and Captain Sonador to charge home and grab the minor placings a length and a half behind him.
“I’m a bit speechless,’ Martin said. “I threw him into the deep end today more hopeful than confident but I’m glad I did.”
Monton won a Benchmark 74 event at the same track on February 6, but had never contested a Black Type event until the Hobartville.
“I knew at the 600 metres he was going to be hard to beat,” Martin said. “He was three pairs back on the fence and getting a lovely run and it was just a matter of getting a shot at the right time.
“He’s a horse that I’ve always had a good opinion of but gelding him at the end of his last prep has been the making of him.”
Monton has the overall record of three wins and a third from just seven starts earning $232,740 in prizemoney and is likely to head to the Group One AJC Randwick Guineas in two weeks time.
An $80,000 purchase for David Lamond from the Brooklyn Lodge draft at the 2008 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale Part Two, Monton is the first living foal of the Marauding mare Dynamic Flyer, a daughter of Group One VATC 1,000 Guineas winner Bianco Flyer, who is in term from the former flashy Sydney stayer Bianco Lady, who won a Group One WATC Perth Cup.
Monton is a new stakes-winner for ill-fated Golden Slipper winner Catbird, who died prematurely at Yarraman Park in 2007, his last crop of foals now two year-olds this season.
