3 minute read

Timeform recap the 2020 Winterbottom Stakes at Ascot won by Elite Street.

One of the outsiders on Saturday, Elite Street became the 15th winner priced greater than 25-1 to win a Group 1 sprint in Australia since the turn of the century.

Though after watching the replay you can be forgiven for assuming he was one of the favourites.

Ridden by Brad Rawiller, Elite Street settled midfield in the running line, enjoying the fast tempo set by Condor Heroes.

Tracking Rock Magic into the straight, Elite Street travelled sweetly, before asked for the supreme effort approaching the 300m.

Letting down strongly, he took Rock Magic at the 100m, before holding off the late charge of Celebrity Queen.

His fifth win from just eight starts, it brought up trainer Dan Morton's first Group 1 success on home soil and his seventh overall.

It capped off an incredible rise for Elite Street, who only made his debut on this day 12 months ago, when a close fourth behind We'Ve Got Dreams.

Unbeaten this time in, Elite Street had toyed with his rivals in restricted company, before taking a big step forward on Saturday.

Rated 98+ in the lead up, Elite Street improved to return a Timeform rating of 117.

A sizable jump, but we are more than comfortable where it sits, both historically and when taking a line through the placegetters.

WA legend Rock Magic finished third for the second year running, while the heavily supported Trekking ($1.75) again failed to replicate his form from the East.

Given every chance by Pike, Trekking settled on the back of Elite Street but couldn't go with him coming into the straight.

A figure of 117 is three pounds below the winning average for the last five years, with both Hey Doc and Buffering the equal highest rated winners on 122.

For Morton, Elite Street is now the third highest rated galloper he has trained, though he has a bit of work to do to catch the 'Scenic boys', Scenic Blast rated 128 and Scenic Shot rated 125.

Only in his second preparation, you'd expect he has more to offer and can build on that 117 figure if they look to head East.

Certainly no stranger at travelling his horses, Elite Street will have to improve again to beat the big boys, but he is very hard to knock and isn't as far off as some would think.

Had he run 117 in our WFA sprints, he theoretically would have dead-heated for third in the Everest, ran 2nd in the Darley Sprint Classic and would have been beaten a length in the Manikato Stakes.

While far from an exact science, it helps to illustrate the level of performance he produced on Saturday and what he could achieve if they do bring him across.

Much like last weekend's Railway Stakes winner Inspirational Girl, the future looks bright in Perth.