Imported stayer and pre-nomination Melbourne Cup favourite White Marlin has tasted defeat for the first time at Pakenham.
The Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott-trained stayer headed to Pakenham on Thursday night to contest the rescheduled William Newton VC Handicap (2000m).
Thursday night’s race was programmed from Flemington on Anzac Day after the meeting was called off following the death of jockey Dean Holland in a race fall at Donald on Monday.
White Marlin won his first two starts in Ireland before making his way to Australia and was aiming for his fifth straight win since joining the Waterhouse and Bott stable.
Taken to the front by Jordan Childs, White Marlin, the $1.22 favourite, led at a comfortable tempo, but was racing into a fierce headwind with his 60kg, conceding 6.5kg to the winner D’Aguilar.
Waterhouse and Bott were using the William Newton VC Handicap as a steppingstone to the gelding’s main target this campaign of the Listed Andrew Ramsden (2800m) at Flemington on May 13.
Victory in the Andrew Ramsden provides the winner a ballot exemption into the Group 1 Melbourne Cup (3200m) at Flemington in November.
Winning jockey Michael Dee said the wind was a concern during Thursday night’s race, but he was impressed with how strong D’Aguilar was at the end of the 2000m journey.
“We had a nice low gate, but I was a little bit concerned as I didn’t have cover most of the way down the back and that breeze is fairly strong,” Dee told racing.com.
“So, he’s done a great job to pick himself up and he was very strong through the line.
“It’s good for me, especially when you’ve got horses presented like that by Patrick Payne and his team.
“He’s a horse that has been improving with each run and probably needed a couple to get a bit of fitness on his side.”
D’Aguilar features among nominations for the opening day of the May Carnival at Warrnambool next Tuesday in a 1700m handicap.