Promising 3YO VANTAN EXPRESS overcame a world of trouble in the straight to break his maiden at the Sunshine Coast Friday night.
The son of Golden Slipper winning sire VANCOUVER was trapped in a seemingly hopeless position at the 300m marker until rider Boris Thornton shifted behind a wall of horses to obtain clear running.
Once the gelding saw daylight, he quickened smartly to win by a convincing one-length margin.
“Really good performance from this bloke tonight. I was very impressed with his turn of foot up the straight,” Thornton said.
“He really put them away better than I expected.”
Friday’s 1400m contest was VANTAN EXPRESS’s fourth trip to the races, having placed in two of his three previous starts.
With the maiden shackles now off, co-trainers Steve O’Dea and Matt Hoysted believe the horse has the potential to climb through the grades, particularly once he gets out to a mile and possibly beyond.
VANTAN EXPRESS was purchased by Proven Thoroughbreds for $110k from Widden Stud’s draft at the 2020 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.
He becomes Proven’s 59th winner for the calendar year and 26th for the season.