Race Result:
1st: Growing Empire (C Maher/M Zahra) - $2.80 fav
2nd: Flattered (P Payne/B Egan) - $10
3rd: Flyer (J Warren/C Williams) - $12
Winning Time: 1:10.71 Last 600m: 34.91
Margins: 4-1/2L x ½ neck
Winning Trainer: Ciaron Maher
Made a mess of them: "I'm surprised really. He's a very good colt but he had a few tricks that we had to iron out early in his career. The team has done a great job.
"It's great to train a winner for Mr Zhang and Yulong. I think he's a colt that's pretty progressive and he'll probably have a breather now and get ready for the spring and improve a lot again."
Took time to make it at races: "He was a little bit immature mentally, but he's really come along in leaps and bounds and there was no surprises there today."
Where Zahra came: "Mark does his track assessment prior to the races and thought that was the place to be. The horse had a bit of a look aropund so he might have been getting away from the winning post."
Winning Jockey: Mark ZahraMark Zahra
Impressive: "Very impressive and very keen. He went to the front and around the bend he was ears pricked and backed-off the tempo which suited him. When I asked him to let rip, he had a look at the winning post and was very soft."
Tracking out: "He was laying out as well, but I was happy to let him go where he was happy in the straight."