Postponed Guineas Hope Wins on Debut for Mick Price

Highly regarded three year old gelding Deferment (by Postponed) blew his rivals off the track in his long awaited debut at Mornington last Friday afternoon in a 3yo maiden event over 1210m .

Despite being slightly slow away from a wide draw, jockey Stephen Baster crossed over to the rail very comfortably to lead and after cruising along in front for most of the journey hot favourite Deferment kicked clear in the straight to score by eight lengths.

The win is the Karaka Select Sale graduate's first step on the road to the Group 1 Caulfield Guineas and the ease with which it was accomplished should give his connections huge encouragement.

Deferment is the third winner in Australia from just four to race in that country by Postponed, who was runner-up Champion First Season Sire in NZ in 2005-06 and has a full and closed book already in 2006.

Bred by Michael Tololi's Karaka Group Ltd, Deferment is the first colt from the Grosvenor mare Lady Gesine, herself the granddaughter of Richard Moore's outstanding NZ Filly of the Year Solveig, whose 14 wins - 3 of them Group 1 - included the 1985 NZ Oaks.

Lady Gesine, bred by South Auckland bloodstock identity, Charlie Roberts, was a $72,500 Karaka Premier Sale purchase in 1999 by current Stoney Bridge Manager, Peter Jenkins, on Tololi's behalf. Unraced due to injury, Lady Gesine is now a � blood sister to Zabeel stakeswinner Gallic (Bendigo Cup). Her Postponed colt was sold privately as a foal to smart judges Denny and Mark Baker of Hallmark Stud who received $85,000 for him at the 2005 Karaka Select Sale, making him Postponed's top price for a yearling at that year's Karaka Sales.

The purchaser was astute pinhooker Dean Hawthorne of Anzac Lodge who had been given a commission by leading Melbourne trainer Mick Price to "buy him a Derby horse" out of the Karaka Sales. Lady Gesine has a filly by proven Storm Cat sire Storm Creek entered for the Karaka Select Yearling Sale in January and is booked to return to Postponed this season.