The Caulfield Cup undercard saw a pair of Group 1 winners return to form, with First Seal (Aus) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}) winning the 1400-metre G2 Tristarc S. and Vanbrugh (Aus) (Encosta de Lago {Aus}) taking out the G3 Coongy Cup over 2000 metres.
The now 5-year-old First Seal was undoubtedly among the best of her generation at three, besting Winx (Aus) (Street Cry {Ire}) when winning the G2 Tea Rose S. and G1 Flight S., but over the ensuing 17 months she failed to hit the same heights while still finishing second in four Group 1s. The China Horse Club colourbearer had returned from an injury enforced layoff to win last season's G2 Millie Fox S. before finishing second in the G1 Canterbury S. and fourth in the G1 George Ryder S., and closed out that campaign with a 12th in the G1 Doncaster Mile. Prior to Saturday she had just one outing as a 5-year-old, a fifth in Rosehill's G2 Golden Pendant S. Sept. 24. Breaking on top, First Seal allowed Blake Shinn to take her back to fifth, about four lengths off the lead, down the backstretch. Four-wide at the top of the stretch, First Seal took the length of the stretch to hit top gear but ultimately got her head in front just in time.
Vanbrugh, a A$100,000 Inglis Easter yearling purchase by Mick Flanagan for Merriebelle Stable, hit a career high when winning the G1 Spring Champion S. as a 3-year-old and was winning for the first time since on Saturday, having failed to hit the board in seven subsequent starts. Contesting the pace before relenting to The Cleaner (Aus) (Savoire Vivre {GB}), Vanbrugh dropped back to midpack as the field strung out down the backstretch. Rallying coming off the bend, Vanbrugh always looked the likely winner through the lane, needing a few reminders with the stick to sidle past a game Tom Melbourne (Ire) (Dylan Thomas {Ire}) for a half-length win. Fan favourite The Cleaner faded in the lane to beat just two home.
Also featuring on the undercard was Gooree Stud's former top 2-year-old Good Standing (Aus) (Artie Schiller), who bounced back from a seventh in the G1 Caulfield Guineas to take the G3 Ladbrokes Classic upped to 2000 metres, and popular sprinter Our Boy Malachi (Aus) (Top Echelon {Aus}), who won the G2 Caulfield Sprint.
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