The Group 1 spring options remain wide open for gun Godolphin youngster Bivouac who scored an impressive first-up win at Caulfield in Saturday’s Group 3 $160,000 Ladbrokes Vain Stakes (1100m).
The James Cummings-trained Exceed And Excel colt enjoyed a Group 3 win at Randwick during April’s ‘The Championships’ taking out the Kindergarten Stakes and was back in form fresh on P.B. Lawrence Stakes Day in Melbourne.
Ridden by champion hoop Hugh Bowman, the three-year-old settled fourth in the field led around by Sebrakate before being eased out three wide.
Bowman let down 250m out and the galloper exploded, going to the front and flashing home four a blistering four and a quarter-length victory over the early Lindsay Park-trained leader Sebrakate.
The Team Hawkes-trained roughie of the field, Written Tycoon colt Dirty Work, rounded out the Vain Stakes trifecta a further length and three-quarters back for third.
“He’s a good horse,” winning hoop Hugh Bowman said after the victory.
“He’s got a good record. I know the stable feels that he has progressed since his two-year-old season and that was shown today.
“He’s certainly got better things in store in the coming months. We expected a good performance and it was no surprise to see him win the way he did. But it certainly gives us satisfaction that he did do it.”
Godolphin stable representative Sean Keogh described the victory as “perfect” and said there were options galore looking ahead to the spring with Bivouac.
“That was a perfect effort from the horse,” he said.
“We were definitely happy with the way we entered the race and there’s more from this horse to come.
“We’ll get him home and assess things…but options like the San Domenico or playing the options here in Melbourne are possibilities.
“That was a nice performance.”
The Group 3 $160,000 San Domenico Stakes (1100m) runs at Rosehill Gardens on August 31.
Futures odds on the Vain Stakes winner Bivouac in a range of Group 1 events over the coming months have subsequently firmed at online bookmaker Ladbrokes.com.au.
The colt is in from $26 to $11 for the $1 million Golden Rose Stakes (1400m) on September 28 at Rosehill, $21 to $13 for the Group 1 $2 million Ladbrokes Caulfield Guineas (1600m) and $26 into $15 for Flemington’s Group 1 $1.5 million Coolmore Stud Stakes (1200m) down the straight on November 2.