C'est la Guerre Strikes Winning Note in Australia

After an absence from the winner's circle of over two years, C'est la Guerre (Shinko King x La Magnifique) put in a strong performance to win the Group 3 $125,000 Craven Plate at Randwick on Saturday.

In a field containing Group 1 winners Purple and Kiwi bred Triple Honour, C'est la Guerre showed that he may be a leading cups contender yet as he seamlessly tore past Purple and Triple Honour to win by one-and-a-half lengths.

Kiwi galloper C'est la Guerre won the Group 1 New Zealand Derby before being bought by Lloyd Williams for his large group of owners and taken across the Tasman in the hope of winning some of Australia's leading staying races. The plan has finally shown some promise with the son of Shinko King claiming his first victory since his devastating four length derby win 16 starts ago. It seems that the direction of the course may have been the spark needed to get C'est la Guerre back on track as the win was his first start on a clock-wise track since his derby win at Ellerslie.

Connections will be keen to see C'est la Guerre hold his form for another month with the big race on the first Tuesday of November being his main target. The six-year-old also holds nominations for the Cox Plate and Caulfield Cup.

Bought by Kevin Myers at the 2006 Karaka Festival Yearling Sale for $16,000, C'est la Guerre notched up his sixth win on Saturday and took his stakes earnings to over $769,000.

Just missing out on Group 1 spoils, exciting New Zealand Bloodstock graduates Trusting (Tale of the Cat x Legible) ran a brave second in the Group 1 $500,000 Epsom Handicap, beaten only a head, while Macedonian (Zabeel x Society Walk) ran third in the Group 1 $400,000 Metropolitan Handicap to fellow Kiwi bred Herculian Prince (Yamanin Vital x Sea Island).

Brazilian Prince (Captain Rio x Sharazad) ran a strong second in the Group 2 $250,000 VRC Edward Manifold Stakes while New Zealand first season sire Perfectly Ready had his first runner in Australia, Isle be Ready (ex Jesmonds Gift), claim second place in the Listed $100,000 AJC Breeders Plate.