Hong Kong-based owners Eden Wong and Anita Chu celebrated their second winner with Malady Racing when Theophilus posted a tenacious maiden victory at Bendigo on Sunday.
The nervy six-year-old joined the stable this year after placing at four of his 13 starts in Hong Kong and is enjoying the farm environment at Hirsch Park.
At the end of last year, Eden and Anita had success with the stable when Tale of Perth scored at Warrnambool before being relocated to continue his career in Hong Kong.
Eden was at Bendigo to watch Theophilus who started a short-priced $2.25 favourite fight off $6 chance Revolver in the Bendigo Mazda Maiden Plate (1600m).
Theophilus settled five lengths off the lead and raced with his mouth open for much of the event and improved around the home turn and into the straight when a gap opened.
Despite having over-raced he charged to the lead near the 250 metres, and no sooner had he looked set for a comfortable win than Revolver quickly loomed from the pack.
In a two-horse battle, they gapped the rest of the field with Theophilus refusing to surrender and prevailing in a photo finish, with Sandwina another 4-1/2 lengths back in third place.
Trainer Vincent Malady said Theophilus was an anxious horse but was contented at Hirsch Park.
“He still gets wound up in the mounting yard and his races but we’ll work on that as he is a 2000-metre horse ,” Vincent said
“He ran well over that trip in Hong Kong so the ability is there.”
Jockey Beau Mertens said he was confident that Theophilus would become more tractable in his races.
“He raced a bit keen for the first half of the race today but then he came back underneath me nicely,” Beau said.
“Coming into the straight I knew he was going to take me where I needed to go, and he sprinted really well.
“When I got past Blake (Shinn on King Czar) he thought the job was over but dug in for a good fight to the line.”
Theophilus is stoutly bred by Teofilo from five-time winning Zabeel mare Hot Augusta and cost $110,00 at the 202 Inglis Gold Sale.
He is a half-brother to the highly talented Fastnet Rock mare Carina Queen who cost Eden and Anita $450,000 at the 2022 Magic Millions Yearling Sale.
From only five starts, Carina Queen is Group 2 placed over 1600m and last spring finished sixth in the Gr1 MRC Thousand Guineas. (1600m).