CLIFF RUNNER SURGES LATE

Danny O'Brien's Spring arsenal swelled on the back of two impressive three-year-old winners at Seymour on Thursday. 

The second of those  victors was Cliff Runner, who showed an electric turn of foot to score his maiden victory over 1200m. 

The son of Waikato Stud's Ardrossan was having his third career start, and first as a gelding, and he savaged the line after only getting clear inside the final furlong.

"That was an impressive win as I don't think he was ever comfortable on that heavy track, but he kept his head down and having a dip which is a great characteristic to have," winning jockey Damien Thornton said post race. 

O'Brien's Racing Manager Jack Howard said the stable had always had an opinion of the Magic Millions purchase. 

"We thought enough of him to take him to South Australia for his debut in a Magic Millions two-year-old race and ran second to a subsequent stakes winner so he is a horse we had high hopes for," Howard said. 

"He got it all wrong at his second race start at Sandown. So we tipped him out, gelded him and hopefully he is a horse that is progressive enough to get into a better race in the Spring."

Earlier on the card, Thornton teamed up with O'Brien for a 3.25-length win aboard Autumn In Grinzing.

Pic by Racing Photos