Sydney galloper All Silent scored one of the most emphatic wins of the carnival when he delivered trainer Grahame Begg his first Group One triumph in nine years in the Emirates Stakes (1600m) at Flemington on Saturday.
Given a soft run by jockey Dwayne Dunn, who picked up the ride from the suspended Damien Oliver, All Silent ($6.50) exploded away in the final 150m to win by three and a quarter lengths from Sea Battle ($5.50) and Mimi Lebrock ($8.50).
After a frustrating run of seconds with smart sprinting mare Our Egyptian Raine, Begg finally broke through with All Silent, nine years after winning this race with Bonanova.
The win was four months in the making for Begg, who remarkably has had three winners from as many starters this week at Flemington.
Despite the tremendous ease in which All Silent won, Begg will not be tempted by carrots in Perth and Hong Kong and will send the lightly-raced five-year-old for a spell.
"If you go away you won't be running in the autumn," said Begg, who has been told by All Silent's jockeys the horse could develop into a 2000m horse.
"He's only had 11 starts and he's still got it all ahead of him. We've been very careful the way we've planned the races and just taking him along very quietly."
All Silent put the writing on the wall last Saturday when, ridden by Oliver, he won the G3 AAMI Stakes (1400m).
And Begg said the horse had improved further during the week at Lee Freedman's Markdel property in Rye.
"He had a pretty light week after running last Saturday," he said.
"That was his gallop for today's race. We didn't have to do too much more with him. He still had a bounce in his step and his coat had just come on a little bit more."
Dunn said he was impressed with how All Silent felt when he rode the horse prior to his victory on Derby day.
"He doesn't give you much of a feel on the track which is a good thing because you know he can just idle and when you ask him to pick up he finds the line," he said.
"When I asked him for an effort he really exploded and put them away very easily."
Michael Rodd, who had earlier won the G1 Patinack Farm Classic on Swick, was left lamenting Sea Battle's wide draw after the five-year-old beat all but the winner coming from last.
"I kept having to get dragged back, dragged back," he said. And I was running last but he cruised up to them running around the turn but the winner just had the soft run and was able to sprint away from me but he's absolutely flying."
Craig Williams said Mimi Lebrock was left flat-footed by the winner but stayed on well for third.
Bank Robber, which finished fourth, also failed to show his customary turn of foot, said his rider Blake Shinn.
Peter Robl was pleased the fifth-placed Dealer Principal had returned somewhere near the form which saw it win the Rosehill Guineas last season.