The benefit of a previous run down the Flemington straight helped the promising Mathew Ellerton & Simon Zahra-trained filly Arctic Angel at Ladbrokes Park on Zipping Classic Day where she enjoyed a dominant win in the Merson Cooper Stakes 2016.

On debut the well-bred daughter of Hard Spun finished under three lengths away fourth to Invincible Star in the Group 3 Ottawa Stakes (1000m) on Melbourne Cup Day.

She looked to tire late down the testing straight track and relished the bend at Sandown second-up in the $120,000 Listed Thoroughbred Club Merson Cooper Stakes (1000m).

There was plenty of money on the filly at Ladbrokes.com.au with Arctic Angel backed in from $9.50 to her $6 starting price in the set weights sprint.

After showing brilliant early speed from her wide barrier 12 of 13 draw, jockey Chris Symons was happy to let her roll to the front where she stayed for the eye-catching all-the-way win.

“That experience up the straight really helped,” Symons said.

“She was brilliant away today.

“I had a raging smile on my face when I straightened because I was travelling so well.

“She just powered away.

“She’s quite quick.”

Arctic Angel ($6) was too speedy for her rivals and in the end did it easy showing great class to hold off the fast-closing Tony McEvoy-trained Mikuni ($9.50) also having his second start, the colt winding-up well down the outside and obviously looking for more distance.

In third rounding out the trifecta was the Robbie Griffiths-trained Sepoy filly Zarpoya ($31) who came from the opposite side of the field having jumped from the inside alley.

Co-trainer Ellerton confirmed it was off to the paddock now for the Merson Cooper Stakes winner Arctic Angel who had achieved more in her first prep than he’d first imagined for her.

“She probably got tired late at Flemington [last start] but she took good benefit from it,” he said.

“I thought she saddled-up really well today and she did the job accordingly.

“She’s really blossomed all the way through.

“She’ll go out [to the paddock] now and have a good break.

“She might sit somewhere in the autumn.

“She’s an unassuming type of filly and she’s risen to every challenge we’ve thrown at her, so who knows where she’ll go.

“She did it quite professionally in the end today.”

To back Arctic Angel next start during her upcoming autumn campaign in 2017 at the right price – sign-up with Ladbrokes.com.au today!

2016 Merson Cooper Stakes Results & Finishing Order

Sandown Race 1 – 12/11/2016

Place	#	Horse	Trainer	Jockey	Margin	Br.	Wgt.	SP
1	10	ARCTIC ANGEL	Mathew Ellerton & Simon Zahra	Chris Symons	–	12	55kg	$6
2	1	MIKUNI	Tony McEvoy	Luke Currie	1.75L	8	57kg	$9.50
3	14	ZARPOYA	Robbie Griffiths	Ben E Thompson (a)	1.95L	1	55kg	$31
4	7	KEDLESTON	Tony Vasil	Damien Oliver	2.15L	3	57kg	$5EF
5	4	VINLAND	Tony McEvoy	Kerrin McEvoy	4.9L	9	57kg	$5EF
6	5	FULLY MAXED	Shane Nichols	Alan Creighton	5.4L	2	57kg	$101
7	11	FROM THE CLOUDS	Matt Laurie	Ben Melham	6.15L	10	55kg	$26
8	13	HEATHERTON	Mick Price	Craig Newitt	6.65L	4	55kg	$10
9	12	HERRERA	Robbie Laing	Kevin Forrester	8.65L	5	55kg	$7.50
10	8	MALZOOM	David & B Hayes & T Dabernig	Craig Williams	9.65L	7	57kg	$12
11	3	MY MOTHER SAYS	Peter Morgan & Craig Widdison	Stephen Baster	9.75L	13	57kg	$21
12	9	RITORNO	Robbie Laing	Dwayne Dunn	16.75L	6	57kg	$61
13	6	ANOTHER DEMON	Andrew Noblet	Jake Noonan	20.25L	11	57kg	$21
–	2	EXPLICITLY	Robbie Laing	Hugh Bowman	–	0	–	–