Jockey Damian Lane steered the Darren Weir-trained Master Of Arts (Mastercraftsman x Petit Verdot) to victory in the Gr.3 Manion Cup (2400m) at Rosehill on Saturday. Trelawney Stud graduate Master Of Arts is on a path to the Sydney Cup and firmed from $101 to $15 for the 3200m Group One race after the Rosehill win.
The six-year-old gelding travelled well midfield before working into the race strongly approaching the home turn.
Lane peeled Master Of Arts ($8.50) into the clear inside the final 400m and he held off Alward ($5) by a neck with a head to Peribsen ($10) third.
It gave Weir back-to-back Manion Cups after Big Duke won the event 12 months ago.
Master Of Arts, who is raced by Paul Fudge's Waratah Thoroughbreds, was scratched from the recent Adelaide Cup (3200m) after drawing wide, with attention turning to Sydney.
The stayer had also trialled over hurdles since his last-start second in the Lord Reims Stakes in Adelaide.
"He has done a lot of schooling and obviously it's the right decision by Paul Fudge and the owners to miss the Adelaide Cup," Weir's stable representative Jarrod McLean said.
"He drew wide and he had a big weight (in the Adelaide Cup) and Paul just thought he couldn't win it, so why waste a run?"
McLean said the plan would be to head to the Chairman's Quality (2600m) at Randwick in two weeks, a week before the Sydney Cup.
Master of Arts was purchased by Waratah Thoroughbreds for $110,000 from Trelawney Stud's 2013 Inglis Easter draft.
With eight wins from 27 starts and over A$600,000 in prizemoney, Master of Arts is a half-brother to Group Two winner Antonio Lombardo and is from Carnegie mare Petit Verdot, a full sister to Victoria Derby winner Amalfi. -AAP. breednet.com.au