24 Apr 2021Tavistock was handed further posthumous black type honours when his son Through Irish Eyes proved the superior stayer in the Listed VRC St Leger at Flemington this afternoon.
Trained by Ciaron Maher and David Eustace, the 3-year-old broke his maiden over a middle distance three runs back at Sale and then finished runner-up in the Listed Galilee Series Final.
Through Irish Eyes handled the step up to 2800 metres with aplomb today and, after coming off a handy sit to hit the front 250 metres from home, was a willing partner for rider Mark Zahra to the line for a comfortable victory ahead of Salto Angel and fellow Tavistock son Favreau.
"I was getting to the front a long way out, but with my momentum and how it worked out, I didn’t want to stop him," Zahra told Racing.com.
"I think you’ve seen that he didn’t know whether he wanted to run into the mounting yard or what. I’m sure if something challenged him he would have come again."
Bred by GSA Bloodstock, he was bought out of Henley Park’s draft at New Zealand Bloodstock’s National Yearling Sale for $150,000 and is a son of the Zabeel mare Zapurple, winner of the G3 South Australia Fillies’ Classic.
She is out of the Listed Let’s Elope Stakes winner Purple Groove and the family of the G3 Star Kingdom Stakes winner Taikun, whose brother Super Groove claimed an edition the Listed Kevin Heffernan Stakes.