Sunday’s racing produced exciting wins for owners in the form of Cepheus and No Fuss. Cepheus had already proved his class, while No Fuss had his first chance to show his talent in Australia.
Showing his supporters that he was back with a vengeance, Cepheus won the South Grafton Cup for the second time. While the stakes may have been modest compared to some of his other big wins, the win here secured his place in the $3m Big Dance later in the spring.
Cepheus wins the 2024 South Grafton Cup.
Hopefully, this year, he’ll find a dry track and add another notch to his impressive resume. Before the Big Dance, however, he will look to defend his 2023 wins in the Group 2 Shannon Stakes and the $1.5m Alan Brown Stakes.
At the other end of the career spectrum, No Fuss built on his impressive trial by producing a last-to-first win in his maiden at Ballarat. Again, his new owners have much to look forward to as the 3-year-old gelding works his way through the classes.
No Fuss wins at Ballarat on Sunday
Arriving in Australia as a lightly framed horse, Calvin and Tony McEvoy have done a wonderful job strengthening him and building his race craft. They believe he is probably still 12 months away from being a horse to take his owners to serious races.
Despite their age and experience differences, both Cepheus and No Fuss are poised to offer their owners plenty of exciting days at the races.