Ingratiating confirms his 2YO standing with dominant G3 Vain Stakes win

Another sign that last season’s vintage crop of Godolphin 2YOs is on track to be among this year’s best 3YOs was resoundingly delivered with the success of Ingratiating in Saturday’s G3 Vain Stakes at Caulfield.

A week after the brilliant Paulele carried the blue colours to an impressive success in the new season’s first 3YO Stakes race, Ingratiating stepped out in an event that so often provides a solid guide to the future and had it wrapped up well before he arrived at the line.

Among recent winners of the Vain Stakes, Godolphin’s star sprinter Bivouac in 2019 went on to win the G1 Golden Rose and the G1 Newmarket Handicap as a 3YO and the G1 VRC Sprint Classic at four.

After taking Ingratiating back to last of the seven runners after the jump, jockey Damien Oliver had Ingratiating striding freely coming to the top of the home straight and allowed him to unwind a finishing burst that carried him smoothly past the leaders and on to a one-length win over General Beau.

“They quickened off the bend, but I didn’t have to pick him up, he just did it by himself,” Oliver said.

“That was a very impressive effort. He’s developed really well during his break and can only come on from that.

“There was very little between him and Anamoe as 2YOs, but this colt might be more of a sprinting type. He’s won twice down the straight at Flemington, so that might be where we’ll see him at his best in a G1 sprint.”

Stable representative Sean Keogh said spring plans would be confirmed after a clearer picture of the 3YO team was available.

“The team will get together and work out a program, at the moment we’ll enjoy this,” Keogh said.

Ingratiating had generally been considered second only to stablemate Anamoe among Godolphin’s juveniles in 2020-21, the pair having been placed in both the G1 Blue Diamond Stakes and the G1 Golden Slipper.

Anamoe moved clear with his G1 Sires’ Produce Stakes win that placed him in the top bracket of the country’s youngsters during a season in which Godolphin won 35 juvenile races in Australia.

On the same Caulfield card, Heresy added further 3YO promise with a slashing run into second place in the G3 Quezette Stakes.

From a wide gate in a big field, Heresy showed she had retained all the ability shown last season, finishing a half-length behind Gimme Par.