Trust In A Gust became the first winner of this season’s $1.80 million VOBIS Gold Premier Race Series at Ballarat on Sunday.

The front-running colt is a son of Greta West Stud stallion Keep The Faith and he banked the lion’s share of the $100,000 VOBIS Gold Eureka Stockade (1400m) and a $30,000 Super VOBIS bonus.

Trust In A Gust (3c Keep The Faith – Subtle Breeze by Storm Cat) has now won 4 of his 7 starts since making $45,000 at the 2012 Inglis Melbourne Premier Sale.

“He’s a real advertisement for Victoria’s VOBIS Gold bonus scheme,” trainer Darren Weir said.  “He hasn’t won a city race but he’s already collected about $200,000 in prizemoney and bonuses.

“We will probably send him for a spell now and, hopefully, he will came back and become a regular city horse.

“We always had this race in the back of our minds and with the VOBIS Gold and Super VOBIS bonuses it is just terrific prizemoney.  There are several syndicates from Ballarat in the horse and a lot of them are young people which is terrific.”

Sent straight to the front on the heavy track by jockey Brad Rawiller, Trust In A Gust travelled strongly before opening up a three length break on his rivals at the top of the home straight.

Trust In A Gust is from USA bred mare Subtle Breeze.  She is a three-quarter sister to Balanchine (Storm Bird) who won the 1994 English Oaks and Irish Derby for Sheikh Mohammed.

Keep The Faith stands for a $4,400 (inc gst) service fee and Greta West studmaster Laurie McCarthy is still taking late bookings to the stakes winning son of Sunday Silence.

TRUST IN A GUST