Photo: Bruno Cannatelli
Group One winner Smokin’ Romans (Ghibellines) broke a two-year win drought in style on Saturday with a black-type success at the scene of his biggest triumph.
The Ghibellines gelding went into Saturday’s A$300,000 Gr.3 Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2600m) at Flemington as a nine-time winner from a career spanning 39 starts. However, he had not won since taking out the Gr.1 Turnbull Stakes (2000m) at Flemington in October of 2022.
The eight-year-old turned back the clock in Saturday’s Queen Elizabeth Stakes under a front-running ride from Ben Melham. He held the chasers at bay all the way down the Flemington straight, beating Star Vega by half a length with another four lengths back to Berkeley Square in third.
“I was a little bit cheeky,” Melham said. “We had it pretty steady the first half. He’s a lovely old horse. He’s got a beautiful rhythm. They sent the mozzies out midway to inject a bit of pressure, probably rightfully so, as I was going pretty steady on him. But from that moment on, he picked up, he switched on and when I went for him, he picked up quickly.
“Because we had it so cheap the first half, I stepped it up a good way out and he maintained his gallop all the way through the line.
“Sometimes, these old horses, you’ve got to try something a bit different on them. Just trying something different, leading and sprinting a long way out, it seemed to work with him today. He’s a good, honest horse, a sound horse. Obviously he hasn’t been in the winner’s circle for a long time. It’s good to see him return there.”
Smokin’ Romans is trained by Ciaron Maher and has now had 40 starts for 10 wins, nine placings and A$1.96 million in stakes.
“He’s a Turnbull winner,” Maher said. “He hasn’t got to that form for a while, but it’s fantastic for the horse, the owners and the team to get a big win like this.
“He’s bred down in the South Island in New Zealand, so he’s a pretty hardy fella. He’s sound and the team have done a great job with him. The owners have had a big thrill today on the last day of the Flemington carnival.
“We’ll definitely have a look at the Zipping Classic (Gr.2, 2400m) now. I feel that a few of these horses will be having a crack at that, and he’s winning, so we’ll give it a go.”
Smokin’ Romans was bred by Brian and Lorraine Anderton’s White Robe Lodge. The son of Ghibellines is out of the Andertons’ high-class staying mare Inferno, the winner of 10 races including the Gr.3 Canterbury Gold Cup (2000m) twice.
Smokin’ Romans sports the colours of Kiwi owner Don Frampton, who has raced Group One winners such as Booming and Trounced. Frampton secured a share in the gelding following his sale to Darren Weir for $52,500 during the Book 1 sale at Karaka in 2018.
