More VOBIS Gold money for Metier

It’s nice to break your maiden in a good race and that happened for promising Stryker gelding Metier when powering home to win the $100,000 VOBIS Gold Eureka Stockade (1400m) at Ballarat on Saturday.

Fitted with blinkers and stepped up in distance, Metier produced a strong late finish for Mark Zahra to overpower his more fancied rivals to score by a long head from Rezak (Reset).

“It was a bit of an aggressive play running him in this race today as a maiden when there was plenty of really good options,” trainer Tony McEvoy said.  “But I’ve got faith in him and the blinkers really got him to travel today.

“He will stay here and we will just keep looking for more of that beautiful VOBIS Gold money.  You could see a long way from home he was going to finish strong and Mark timed it to perfection.”

A $40,000 Inglis Classic purchase from the Three Bridges Thoroughbreds draft for his trainer, Metier has a win and two placings from four starts and prizemoney topping $75,000.

Bred by Makybe, he was a successful pin-hook for Three Bridges having been bought by Paul Willetts for just $10,000 as a weanling at the 2013 Inglis Great Southern Sale.

Metier is the second winner for Danzero mare Unblemished, who comes from the family of G2 MVRC Champagne Stakes winner Truly Wicked (Rubiton).  She is the dam of G1 HK International Sprint winner Amber Sky.

Metier is another good winner for Three Bridges sire Stryker following on from smart wins for Rangipo and Baggio this month.

The Eddington nursery was in the frame again on Saturday when Lucky Bubbles (Sebring) won the Chek Lap Kok Hcp (1200m) in Hong Kong.  He was bred by Gilgai Farm and was a $90,000 graduate from the Three Bridges draft at the 2013 Inglis Melbourne Premier Sale.

metier pres resizeMETIER
Tony McEvoy and TBV President James O’Brien following the VOBIS Gold Eureka Stockade