First Stakes-Winner for Sebring

 In 2013

Melbourne – Our exciting young sire Sebring passed a milestone on Saturday when posting his first stakes-winner with talented colt Dissident capturing the Listed MRC Blue Diamond Preview over 1000 metres at Caulfield on debut.

Easy in betting, Dissident settled back in the field for Vlad Duric before unleashing a powerful burst in the straight to beat the favourite Kuroshio by a neck with his unlucky stablemate Thermal Current running third.

The win came as somewhat of a surprise to Peter Moody, who did not enter Dissident in next month’s Group I MRC Blue Diamond Stakes because he believed the colt’s immaturity would rule him out, but this performance may force the trainer to reconsider his plans.

“I always thought he was probably not going to be ready (for the Blue Diamond),” Moody said.

“He’s been one of our immature two-year-olds and we saw that in his race manners here today.

“He’s done everything right though. He’s copped it well and he’s got the job done.”

Moody will now go home and see how Dissident recovers from his sizzling debut win before deciding on a path forward.

“We’ll weigh that up in time,” Moody said. “Obviously, we have got to pay a late entry (for the Diamond) but he might faint and go home and be in the paddock.

“We’ll just let him guide us.”

Dissident was a $210,000 Magic Millions purchase for his trainer from the Widden Stud draft and runs for a big syndicate of owners that have collected a $72,500 cheque for this win.

Bred by Widden Stud and partners, Dissident is the second foal and first winner for stakes-placed Anabaa (USA) mare Diana’s Secret, who was also bred by Widden and partners and comes from the family of Palace Gossip, Mountebank and Vietnam.

Diana’s Secret has no yearling for the sales this year but did have a Northern Meteor filly foal last year that is stunning and is back in foal to the same sire.

Dissident is the sixth individual winner for Golden Slipper winner Sebring, who is the leading Australian first season sire by winners and was super popular with breeders last spring covering his biggest book yet of 203 mares.