Gold Coast trainers Tony and Maddy Sears have another talented stayer on their hands as Nightline gave them back-to-back winners of the Eagle Way (2100m) with a dominant performance at Eagle Farm on Saturday.
The father-daughter training combination sent out Beau Dazzler to win the three-year-old feature last year before he returned to place in the Gr.2 Queensland Guineas (1600m) prior to an unplaced tilt at the Gr.1 Queensland Derby (2400m).
A New Zealand bred daughter of Redwood, Nightline will now be saved for the Queensland Winter Carnival with Classic aspirations.
Nightline was a long-odds winner of the City to Surf 3YO (1600m) at Doomben two starts ago before enduring a torrid run when 12th in the Gr.3 Grand Prix Stakes (1800m) won by Matias.
The filly proved that performance was an aberration, comfortably defeating Mr Worthington with Grand Prix placegetters Tambeloa and Agent Zero well held in third and fourth respectively.
“It’s great to see her do that. We’ve got a very, high opinion of her,” Maddy Sears said.
“When she won at big odds, it wasn’t a fluke, and we thought she would win very well again today, and, it happened.”
Ridden by Mark Du Plessis, Nightline shouldered her way into the clear upon entering the home straight.
“She’s almost a bit colt-like. In her demeanour, in her work, everything about her. You look at her and she doesn’t look like a filly, she’s a brute of a horse,” Sears said.
“When she was travelling and I saw the favourite under a bit of pressure, and we were still just smoking the pipe, I thought, ‘I think we’re home here’.
“I was a little bit worried on straightening when Mr Worthington loomed up on straightening, but Mark hadn’t even moved her and I don’t think he hit her with the stick.
“She’s booked on a truck on Monday to go straight to the paddock, and then we’ll get ready for the (Queensland) Oaks, but she’s very classy and they would want to look out for her in the Oaks.”
Sears Racing purchased the daughter of Redwood from the Karaka Book 2 Yearling Sales from the draft of Westbury Stud for $75,000 in conjunction with Paul Moroney Bloodstock and Catheryne Bruggeman. The filly is from the family of Group One gallopers Fontelina and Electrique.