Trainer Gerald Ryan has named the inaugural $1 million Bondi Stakes as the next-up target for his shock 2019 Stan Fox Stakes winner Colada.

Ryan saddled-up the previously undefeated favourite Bottega in this year’s Group 2 $250,000 Stan Fox Stakes (1500m) at Randwick on Spring Champion Stakes Day, but in the end won the race with the roughie stablemate Colada.

In a brazen performance from the Brazen Beau gelding, Colada atoned for his narrow last start third when carrying a hefty 61kg in a mile BM64 at Newcastle last time out.

“He’s had a terrific prep. Has been going really good,” Ryan said post-win

“With due respect to Tommy (Berry) he went too slowly at Newcastle with the big weight (last start).

“Just let the horse roll and freewheel.

“Robbie has only ridden him twice and ridden that way two times. Admittedly one was a maiden.

“He freshened up after Newcastle with a jumpout on Tuesday and went really good.

“Sun Stud are great to train for. I said to them six weeks ago to target this race.

“It was finding out the proper way to ride this horse.”

The gelding thrived under the set weights conditions of the Stan Fox coming back to 56.5kg and was taken straight to the front by apprentice hoop Robbie Dolan.

Dolan gave the galloper a confident ride in front with Colada ($20) too strong with an all-the-way victory defeating John Sargent’s improver Brandenburg ($9) by two lengths.

“He’s a beast, it’s tough to get him to relax, but he’s just needs to go to the front and do his thing,” winning hoop Dolan said of Colada.

“It probably looked like he was going hard in front, a little bit keen, but he felt really relaxed down the back.

“I just waited until we started to turn, I clicked him up and he picked up the whole way up the straight, it was great.

“He’s not an easy horse to work with and credit to all of Gerald’s team and to Gerald himself, have to thank the owners for putting me on, they could have put any jockey on today and they stuck with me.

“This horse he proved them all wrong at Canterbury, he did the same thing, he led, gave a good kick and they couldn’t catch him, it’s great to do it again today.”

Rounding out the Stan Fox Stakes trifecta in third was Ryan’s beaten favourite Bottega ($2.20) who likely lost few admirers finishing the race strongly.

“He ran well,” Ryan said of Bottega.

“Probably got him out of his comfort zone. They were rolling up front, running records up front.

“It was always going to be hard for him. This horse is tough with quite a few races as a two-year-old.

“Hard and solid and fit while the other horse is still learning his craft.”

Both Colada and Bottega are set to clash again returning to Royal Randwick on October 26 for a shot at one of the newly created seven-figure spring features in Sydney, the Group 1 $1 million Bondi Stakes (1600m).

“They’ll both go to the Bondi. A million dollars is a million dollars,” Ryan confirmed.

Looking ahead to the 2019 Bondi Stakes, Ryan is tipping Bottega as the one most likely out of his duo to see out a strong 1600m.

“In a fortnight over the 1600m where the winner (Colada) may not run it out as strongly,” the trainer said.

The Bondi Stakes runs for the first time in 2019 and is another set weights race for three-year-olds over a mile on the same day Melbourne hosts the iconic $5 million Ladbrokes Cox Plate.

2019 Stan Fox Stakes Results

Place	#	Horse	Trainer	Jockey	Margin	Barrier	Weight	SP
1	6	COLADA	Gerald Ryan	Robbie Dolan (a)	–	3	56.5kg	$20
2	3	BRANDENBURG (NZ)	John Sargent	Glen Boss	2L	8	56.5kg	$9
3	1	BOTTEGA	Gerald Ryan	Joshua Parr	2.3L	7	56.5kg	$2.20F
4	7	ROCK AMORE	Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott	Adam Hyeronimus	2.5L	9	56.5kg	$14
5	9	KOOWEERUP	Ciaron Maher & David Eustace	Jason Collett	2.6L	6	54.5kg	$5.50
6	5	COCK MATCH	Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott	Tim Clark	5.6L	1	56.5kg	$9.50
7	8	ELVEZIO	Clarry Conners	Ms Kacie Adams	7.6L	2	56.5kg	$81
8	2	FAMOUS	Peter & Paul Snowden	Nash Rawiller	9.4L	4	56.5kg	$10
9	4	FASANO	David Payne	Brenton Avdulla	10.4L	5	56.5kg	$6