Smokin' Joey wore down defending winner Platelet with a powerful outside rally and won the Tapestry Wines Goodwood (Aus-I) at 40-1 odds May 10 at Morphettville.
Favorite Sistine Demon tried bravely to lead all the way in South Australia's premier sprint, chased by Classy Jack, Conservatorium, and group I winner Miracles Of Life, who was making her last track appearance before heading to public auction.
At the 200-meter mark, Platelet was first to break from the pack in the charge down the straight, but Smokin' Joey was full of run down the outside for the upset.
The son of Encosta de Lago won by a half-length under Ben Melham and covered 1,200 meters (about six furlongs) in 1:11.63 on turf rated as slow. It was Smokin' Joey's his first group I triumph.
Riziz finished third, about 1 1/2 lengths behind the winner. Sistine Demon checked in 18th in the 19-horse field.
Trained by Wez Hunter, Smokin' Joey has a 6-6-1 record from 38 career starts topped by four other stakes wins, including two at the group III level. He is a homebred of M. Lanteri and J. Lanteri, who bred him out of the Blazing Sword mare Dalzing. The bay gelding is a full brother to multiple group winner Our Smoking Joe, who was multiple group I-placed.
Smokin' Joey finished sixth behind Sistine Demon in the Victoria Handicap (Aus-III) April 19 at Caulfield and rebounded to stem a six-race winless stretch following his triumph in the Chatham Stakes (Aus-III) Nov. 2 at Flemington. He came tantalizing close to winning a group I race in his subsequent start a week later, finishing a head second to Boban in the Cantala Emirates Stakes (Aus-I) Nov. 9 at the same track.
