Patience pays off as Pericles breaks G1 duck
Racenews
23 February, 2026
Classy veteran Pericles finally gained a deserved first G1 victory on Saturday with a three-quarter length success in the Futurity Stakes at Caulfield.
A three-time winner at G2 level, the six-year-old was making a 16th G1 appearance and went into the race on the back of a nose defeat in November’s G1 Champions Mile – one of five previous top-level placings for the son of Street Boss.
Having finally secured a breakthrough win, Pericles will be hoping to double his G1 tally in the All-Star Mile at Flemington in a couple of weeks, where his rivals could include defending champion Tom Kitten.
Highly progressive filly Cinsault claimed her fifth win in six starts as she bravely denied established G1 performer Lazzura in the G2 Millie Fox Stakes at Rosehill on the same day. The daughter of Brazen Beau will likely get a chance at G1 level on her next start, with next month’s Coolmore Classic one option.
Lucky Kid emerged as a potential Kentucky Derby contender at Tokyo on Sunday with a neck verdict in the Hyacinth Stakes, a success that earned the Discreet Cat colt 30 qualifying points for the Run for the Roses.
He looks set to join Jpn G1 Zen-Nippon Nisai Yushun winner Pyromancer on a trip to Dubai World Cup Night for the G2 UAE Derby. Japanese-trained horses have won the last four renewals of the UAE Derby, and all four horses have subsequently lined up at Churchill Downs on the first Saturday in May.
Snappy Dresser appeared to have Kentucky Derby ambitions of his own last year following a sensational debut success in October, 2024. The US-bred son of Union Rags, who hails from the same family as Frosted, overcame a 13-month layoff as he scored by seven lengths in a Tokyo allowance race on Saturday.
The European Road to the Kentucky Derby moves on to Kempton Park on Wednesday, although the all-weather contest has proven a springboard to G1 glory on the turf with Notable Speech and Opera Ballo having won the last two editions. Hidden Force, a debut winner at the track who is out of a half-sister to Thunder Snow, will be hoping to add his name to the roll of honour.
