Guillotine Carves Up Class Field

Karaka Premier Sale graduate Guillotine surprised trainer David Hayes when he stepped up to defeat a class field in the Group 2 Dato Chin Nam Stakes (1600m) at Moonee Valley on Saturday.

With Craig Williams in the saddle, the four-year-old settled off the pace and then stormed home to win by a long neck in what was an honestly run race. The star-filled field included seven Group 1 winners including Maldivian (NZ), Sir Slick (NZ), Casual Pass, Tears I Cry, Alamosa (NZ), Sirmione and Pompeii Ruler.

Guillotine's run sees him emerge from the shadow of his VRC Derby and Melbourne Cup winning half-brother Efficient (Zabeel) and has raised the sights of his trainer who now has a tilt at the Caulfield Cup in mind.

He is from the stakes-placed Defensive Play mare Refused the Dance and is by the former Windsor Park Stud shuttle-sire Montjeu (Sadler's Wells). Along with Efficient, Defensive Play is the dam-sire of Group 1 winners Sirmione, Zarita, Taatletail and Heatseeker.

Bred by Graeme Hunt's Cambridge Hunt, Saturday's win was Guillotine's fourth, and his second in a row, for prizemoney of A$363,530. South Australian owner Les Samba purchased the grey in 2006 for NZ$300,000 from Gordon Cunningham's Curraghmore Stud.

The win makes him exempt from the ballot for the Caulfield Cup with the only two horses to win both races: the Kiwi-breds Sometime in 1963 and the mighty Rising Fast in 1954. In addition horses carrying the 'NZ' suffix have now won the last four runnings of the Dato Tan Chin Nam with Lad of the Manner (Zabeel x Matrona by Woodman) taking out the 2005 and 2006 instalments, and subsequent Cox Plate winner El Segundo (Pins x Palos Verdes by Oak Ridge) winning last year.

Fellow Karaka Premier Sale graduate Chairmanoftheboard (Stravinsky x Vintage Belle by Centaine) was also successful on the day. He won the Honan Insurance Brokers Handicap (1200m) taking his prizemoney to A$112,960 from five wins and four placings. Rohan Hughes Thoroughbreds purchased him for NZ$60,000 in 2005 from Phoenix Park. A half-brother by Keeper is entered in the upcoming Ready to Run Sale on 18 & 19 November.