Brazilian hoop Joao Moreira kicked off his Golden Rose Stakes Day rides with a win partnering Chris Waller’s dominant Kingston Town Stakes 2016 winner McCreery to victory.

McCreery stayed on well to win the 2016 Kingston Town Stakes on Golden Rose Day in Sydney. Photo: Steve Hart.

Waller saddled up three runners in the $125,000 Group 3 Kingston Town Stakes (2000m) at Rosehill Gardens including last start Listed Rowley Mile (1600m) winner McCreery.

The imported Big Bad Bob gelding had the blinkers off to help him settle when stepping up over further than a mile for the first time, the distance the test in the Kingston Town.

The meters proved a non-issue for the progressive five-year-old who did everything right under the guidance of the Hong Kong-based ‘Magic Man’, in Sydney to ride Waller’s filly Omei Sword in the Golden Rose.

Zero To Ten led the Kingston Town Stakes field around setting a solid pace in the middle-distance staying feature with the likes of Sir John Hawkwood, having his first run for John Thompson, getting the perfect ride mid-field off the speed.

Moreira had McCreery settled fifth on the outside while the well-fancied John O’Shea-trained Allergic from the outside alley was being ridden back in a strung-out field.

McCreery was stalking the leading division before beginning his round from four wide nearing the turn for home.

Allergic, who failed to see daylight in a luckless fifth in the Premier’s Cup at the track a fortnight ago, was also coming home hard down the outside once on the straight with James McDonald aboard.

Blake Spriggs did his best bringing Sir John Hawkwood back on the fence with a fighting finish from the evergreen veteran, but he just didn’t have the same power late in running as the winner.

McCreery ($3.50) bolted home in a big win finishing ahead of Sir John Hawkwood ($5.50) with the market mover from the Godolphin stable Allergic ($2.50) finishing off the Kingston Town Stakes trifecta in third as the beaten favourite.

“I thought he could have been handier because he was stepping up in distance,” world-class jockey Moreira said post-win.

“But he had a great turn of foot turning for home.

“It was a very impressive win.”

The ease in which McCreery handled the step up to 2000m could have Waller considering a shot at the $750,000 Group 1 The Metropolitan (2400m) over the mile and a half at Royal Randwick on Epsom Handicap Day, October 1.

Waller won his first The Metropolitan with 20/1 roughie The Verminator in 2011 before taking it out again in 2014 with Opinion who improved on a Kingston Town Stakes 10^th.

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2016 Kingston Town Stakes Results & Finishing Order

Rosehill Race 5 – 10/09/2016