Seven-year-old Canali showed he still has plenty of speed left in his legs after winning over his pet 1000m distance at Moonee Valley leading from start to finish.
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The frontrunning Canali ($10), with Stephen Baster on board, stuck to his tried and true tactic of getting to the lead as soon as possible and then trying to hold off challengers in the 1Print.Com.Au Handicap.
It worked at his last start at Cranbourne over 1000m two weeks ago and it worked again on Saturday with Canali getting home by a long head to fast-finishing favourite Vatican ($3.80) with The Minister ($21) a further neck away third.
Trainer Stephen Brown bought Canali from legendary trainer Bart Cummings as a three-year-old and last year relocated from Darwin to Flemington.
“When he looks like that he is on-song and is very hard to beat,” said Brown.
Brown says Canali’s form improves as the weather gets warmer and if recent performances count it could be the start of a purple streak.
Brown was too excited with the Cox Plate Day victory to talk about future plans for Canali, who last won in the city when he ran in an open handicap at Caulfield in December 2011.
“I’m staggered. I’m so happy that he won. We didn’t put him in this race last year. We probably should have,” Brown said.