New Zealand-bred mare Yonce extended her unbeaten record to five with a gritty victory at Flemington on Saturday and will now look to tackle stakes company.
Prepared by Ciaron Maher and David Eustace, the daughter of Proisir was sent out the $2.90 favourite under John Allen, and eventually prevailed by a comfortable three lengths from Gentleman Roy and Savannah Cloud.
Yonce had to overcome a difficult path after being buried away on the fence entered the straight, but Allen persevered for inside runs before angling off the fence inside the final 200m.
“I was a bit worried on the turn, to be honest. She just seems to get herself in trouble. I know she wasn’t a long way back but she was in an awkward spot,” Eustace said.
“She’s got a good turn-of-foot and she’s very honest. It was a very good ride by Johnny and she just keeps progressing.”
Eustace said that while a stakes race would be the obvious next step, where that may be he wasn’t sure as yet.
“There’s some obvious races in Adelaide - we’d need to have a look and see what’s up in Sydney too,” he said.
Allen said Saturday's victory was possibly the four-year-old’s best adding the soft ground had suited.
"The team and the owners thought that if she got on a bit of wet ground she'd be even better and with a bit of give in the ground today she really showed that dynamic turn-of-foot," Allen said.
"On that performance I think she's definitely something to look forward to."
Out of the Zabeel mare Ziva, Yonce was passed in as a yearling for $30,000 during the New Zealand Bloodstock Book 2 Sale from the Woburn Farm draft.
She was later purchased by Cambridge trainer Ross McCarroll, for whom she finished third in two trials and caught the eye of prominent Australian owner Ozzie Kheir.
Kheir bought a majority interest in the Proisir mare, but McCarroll and his fellow Kiwi owners remain in the ownership.
Having worked through the grades, Yonce has won A$256,750 in prizemoney to date.
Rich Hill Stud stallion Proisir, who is best known as the sire of star sprinter Levante, is represented by 21 yearlings at the forthcoming New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sale, with eight in Book 1 and 13 in Book 2.