Praecido Back in Winning Form

After two years to the month since his last race victory, David Payne's Praecido (NZ) has made a successful return to the winners' circle with an eye-catching win in the A$100,000 Listed ATC Parramatta Cup (2000m) at Rosehill on Saturday.

Coming from the back of the field on the home turn and five lengths from the lead, Praecido (One Cool Cat x Felicitous, by Montjeu) raced his way to the front before having to hold off the fast finishing Jimmy Fortunes (Choisir) in the final strides to win by a long neck.

Praecido won his fifth start as a two-year-old at Randwick in 2010 and went on to place in a further six races, including the Group 3 Gloaming Stakes behind Retrieve (Rahy), Group 1 Spring Champion Stakes behind Erewhon (Commands) and Group 1 VRC Derby behind the late Lion Tamer (NZ) (Storming Home), last season.

This season the four-year-old hinted at a positive campaign when running a bold second fresh up to the talented Star of Octagonal (Octagonal) at Rosehill over 1500 metres, and the son of One Cool Cat clearly enjoyed the step up to 2000 metres on Saturday.

Bred by L McCool, Praecido was purchased by John Cordina from Cambridge Stud at the 2009 Karaka Premier Sale for $60,000 and is now raced by John Cordina in partnership with Ms S E Ward, Mr D R Cordina, Mrs E M Morley, and Mr P Morley.

The 14th stakes winner for his sire One Cool Cat, a former resident of Cambridge Stud, Praecido's 28 career starts have netted two wins and six placings for over A$500,000 in stakes.