Sydney, October 26 – Speedy Catbird three-year old Off and Gone led his rivals a merry dance at Canterbury on Wednesday in the Class One event over 1250 metres.

The Gai Waterhouse trained gelding jumped swiftly and was always in the lead, but had to pull out all the stops to hold off the late challenge of Referees, which cut his winning margin back to a short half head.

A $160,000 purchase from the draft of Yarraman Park at the 2005 Magic Millions Yearling Sale, Off and Gone is the second living foal of Smyzer’s Roylani, an unraced daughter of former class filly Paklani, winner of the Group Three STC Sweet Embrace Stakes and Group One placed in the Golden Slipper and Oakleigh Plate.

Off and Gone is the third metropolitan winner in less than a week for Golden Slipper winner Catbird, joining Mimidae who scored at Randwick on Saturday and Letmeentertainyou at Canterbury last Friday.