Another Prophet delivered trainer Ciaron Maher his first Thousand Guineas success and 50th Group 1 win, with an upset victory in the fillies’ feature at Caulfield.

Another Prophet
Another Prophet claimed the Thousand Guineas. (Photo: Vince Caligiuri/Getty Images)

The daughter of Brazen Beau benefited from a proactive ride from Ethan Brown and settled close to the speed before taking control of the race from early leader and eventual third placegetter Too Darn Lizzie inside the final 300 metres.

Another Prophet was then able to repel the race favourite Aeliana, who charged late, to win by 0.4 length, reversing the result from their last start clash in the Carbine Club Stakes at Flemington.

The Chris Waller and James McDonald trained Aeliana cost herself victory when she hit a flat spot around the Caulfield final bend, and by the time she got her momentum up it was too late to catch the Maher-trained outsider, who started at $31.   

Bred and raced by the Ferguson’s family’s Bell River Thoroughbreds, Another Prophet is the third Group 1 winner for Darley’s Victorian-based stallion Brazen Beau.

She is also the third stakes winner from the mare Set To Skelter, joining her three-quarter sister Prophet’s Thumb, a Group 2 winner, and half-sister More Prophets, both of who raced in the same black, white and pale blue colours of the Fergusons.

Bell River has previously bred Group 1 winner Extreme Choice, Ace High and I Am Excited.  

It was a fifth Group 1 victory for Brown, four of which have come with Maher, who takes his own Group 1 total to 50, 20 under his name own name and another 30 in combination with David Eustace.

“We thought there was a little bit of improvement in her coming out of her last run and she actually ran a peak last start so that gave us the confidence going forward. It was obviously a bit of a roll at the stumps but that was the science behind it,” Maher said

 “The team has done a super job with her, just fantastic for the Ferguson family.

“They always said they were going to send me a good one, I bought a couple that were not so good but how good for a family run operation, I’m sure they’ll be thrilled.”

Maher was denied a Group 1 double by the Yulong-owned and Gary Portelli trained Kimochi, who drove past Another Wil late to win the Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes.

Another Wil, who runs in the colours of the late Colin McKenna, was set to deliver an emotional end to the Victorian Group 1 spring, but Craig Williams had Kimochi ($21) present with perfect timing to capture his seventh win in the race. Steparty rallied well for third.  

It’s another feature win for Yulong, which paid $2.2 million for the multiple Group 1-placed daughter of Brave Smash at the Inglis Chairman’s Sale earlier this year. Yulong-owned horses  also won the Cox Plate, the VRC Oaks, the Champions Stakes over the past three weeks.

It was the second win for Portelli in the race, whose previous success came with Rebel Dane back in 2013.

Kimochi is the first Group 1 winner for Brave Smash, who now resided at Yarraman Park.

Progressive four-year-old Briasa took his record to six wins from seven starts when he claimed The Hunter, the $1 million feature, staged at Newcastle.

Stepping up to open company for the first time – the race was designated Group 2, although the recognition of that is open to debate – the Team Hawkes-trained Briasa sat three deep throughout the 1300-metre journey and took until the final few strides to get the better of outsider Felix Majestic, Last year’s winner Caol Crusher, ran third.

It was the second straight win in the rich Newcastle race for jockey Tyler Schiller.

Meanwhile, Yulong stallion Written Tycoon marked his 17th Group 1 winner with the success of Te Akau filly Captured By Love in the New Zealand 1000 Guineas at Riccarton.

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