Tycoon Star used second-up fitness and a sharper headspace to square the ledger with Jimmy Recard, controlling the Group 3 McNeil Stakes (1200m) from a handy spot before powering clear under Michael Dee.
Outside the pace set by the fast-away McGaw, the Written Tycoon colt travelled sweetly, eased past the leader at the top of the straight and kept finding to the line. McGaw stuck on for second; Vain Stakes winner Jimmy Recard boxed on into third, with Group 1-winning juvenile Vinrock close behind.
Officially, the Soft 5 contest stopped the clock in 1:10.00 with a margin of just under two lengths.
The result flips the script from two weeks ago, when Tycoon Star loomed to win the Vain but wandered late and was nabbed up the inside by Jimmy Recard.
Here, the camp added visors and let Dee take luck out of the equation: jump cleanly, park handy, and ask for a sustained 300-metre run. It was measured, professional, and exactly the sort of McNeil that points three-year-olds towards Flemington in November.
Ben Hayes was quick to frame the win as a platform rather than a peak. He noted the colt had “trained on beautifully” from the Vain and that fitness—more than gear—made the difference, while the straight track beckons next.
The Group 1 Coolmore Stud Stakes (1200m) is firmly in the conversation, with connections weighing whether to give Tycoon Star a look down the Flemington straight beforehand.
Early markets with horse racing bookmakers trimmed him around the $21 mark for the Coolmore as the post-race chatter warmed.
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