Stud graduate provides icing on cake

Aegon crowned a spectacular day for Andrew Forsman when the Waikato Stud graduate triumphed in the G3 Moonga S.

The son of the late Sacred Falls returned to winning ways at Caulfield for the Cambridge trainer, who had earlier prepared Savabeel’s son Mr Maestro to tighten his hold on the G1 VRC Derby with success in the G3 Neds Classic following stablemate Saint Bathans’ win on the undercard.

He also celebrated a major domestic victory at Hastings where Mustang Valley romped away with the G1 Livamol Classic.

Forsman went to $150,000 to secure Aegon from the Matamata farm’s draft at Karaka in 2019 and retains an ownership interest in the gelding with the Zame family.

Aegon enjoyed a stellar three-year-old season with victories in the G1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas, G2 Hobartville S., the G2 Hawke’s Bay Guineas and Karaka Million 3YO Classic.

However, he hadn’t been successful since the Hobartville, but Forsman saw enough in his resuming effort for sixth at Te Rapa earlier this month to send him to Melbourne.

“I was really happy with his first-up run and he came through it really well. There was a lack of suitable options at home and we felt he was somewhere near his best form,” he said.

Aegon settled fourth last in the running today under Blake Shinn and, as the field fanned out into the straight, they drove through under runners to earn major honours.

“It got a bit niggly and didn’t get the right run and I’m sure Blake wanted to get wider, but the horse was good enough,” Forsman said.

He has no immediate plans for the five-year-old, but the G1 Champions’ Mile at Flemington on November 5 is on the radar.

Aegon is a son of the Zabeel mare Toss Up, who is in foal to Tivaci, and she is from the family of Waikato Stud’s triple Group 1 winner Daffodil.