Unbeaten Viridine scores black-type debut

Viridine extended his winning sequence by claiming the Listed Heritage Stakes first-up at Randwick.

Unbeaten Godolphin colt Viridine successfully stepped up to black-type racing at Randwick, upstaging favoured stablemate Malahat in the Listed Heritage Stakes.

For the first time in his three-race career Viridine produced an emphatic winning margin, pleasing assistant trainer Darren Beadman.

“He did a few things wrong early but when Brenton (Avdulla) asked him for an effort he stuck his head out and he really wanted to hit the line,” Beadman said.

“He’s a lovely colt. He delivered twice over the winter on soft tracks, only by small margins, where he got into difficulty a few times and got out of it.”

First-up on Saturday over 1100m, Viridine ($7) powered clear to win by 1-1/4 lengths.

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Single Bullet ($6.50) resumed with a second and Albumin ($17) was a neck back in third.

“He’s only going to keep improving, he’s obviously three-from-three but his first two wins, he never put the field away. Today he put the race away at the furlong,” Avdulla said.

Favourite Malahat ($2.90) set the early pace after jumping from the outside gate but faded to fourth.

“Randwick’s not really is track,” Beadman said.

“He had to do a bit work from the wide gate. To me, he’s a Moonee Valley, Canterbury type horse where he can use his speed and run off the corners,.”

Godolphin’s third runner Marsupial ($3.60) battled on for fifth after missing the kick.