Benz wins Zeditave Stakes first-up

Adelaide visitor Benz has upstaged the locals in Victoria to land his first group race win in the Zeditave Stakes at Caulfield.

The Gordon Richards-trained Benz ($4.60) resumed from a spell in Saturday’s Group Three 1200m race for three-year-olds and chased down Hard Promise ($16) inside the final 100m to win by three-quarters of a length.

Favourite Derryn ($3.80) was another long neck away in third.

Hard Promise and Yulong Yongxing had opened up about a four-length break on the rest of the field, headed by Benz, turning for home.

Hard Promise kept rallying in the straight while Yulong Yongxing weakened from the 200m to finish eighth.

Benz went after the leaders and was strong to the line to notch his sixth win from 10 starts.

“I was a bit worried he had to do the legwork chasing out after those two tearaway leaders, but he was strong on the line and put them away,” Richards said.

“In the end, he got the job done and I’m pretty happy with him.”

Four of Benz’s wins have come at Morphettville, while Saturday’s victory was his second in Melbourne after winning at Moonee Valley last campaign.

Benz, by Bushranger out of Mycedes, finished fifth in two stakes races in Melbourne at the end of his previous campaign, including in the Sandown Guineas, and Richards said it was nice to get a group race win with the gelding.

“Let’s hope he can win more,” he said.