Valliano was a fitting winner of the $150,000 Vale Phil Sly VOBIS Gold Ingot Plate (1200m) at Caulfield on Saturday.

He’s the second foal from Miss Valley Road (Elusive Quality) who Sly raced with Leon & Troy Corstens for wins at Benalla and Bendigo.  This year’s race honoured the prominent racing and breeding identity who lost a battle with cancer earlier this month.

Valliano was bred and sold by Swettenham Stud’s Adam Sangster and is the leading southern earner by his Group 1 shuttler Equiano (Fr).  He cost Lindsay Park $60,000 at the 2015 Inglis Premier Yearling Sale and has now banked over $354,000.

“Leading was a new role and he did a really good job,” jockey Michael Lane said.  “He travelled beautifully was I was confident a long way out.  I knew the horse beneath me and he was very strong through the line.”

Valliano had won the $250,000 RL Inglis Premier (1200m) at Caulfield in February before an unplaced run in the G1 Blue Diamond.  “He’s bounced right back after the Diamond,” Lane said.  “He got knocked around a little bit that day but he was turned out in great order and is a credit to the team at Lindsay Park.”

Miss Valley Road has an Equiano yearling filly with Mornington based Graeme Gathercole and she foaled another Equiano colt in October before breeding back to Toronado.

Equiano is a Top 10 sire on Australia’s second-season table with 21 individual winners approaching $1 million in earnings.  He will stand for a $13,750 (inc gst) service fee at Swettenham in 2016.

VALLIANO