Tough gelding Sandpaper delivered his second black type win for Bjorn Baker and Darby Racing, leading all the way to take the Listed Carrington Stakes at Randwick.
Well judged by Nash Rawiller, Sandpaper was strongly supported into $2.70 favouritism and dug deep to score by a long neck over stablemate Thunderlips ($14).
Matcha Latte ($6.50), last year’s Provincial-Midway Championships winner, finished a solid third.
The six-year-old was backing up from a midfield run in The Buffering (1400m) at Eagle Farm, a performance the stable took confidence from.
“He was really tough in Brisbane. He never got any peace,” Luke Hilton said.
“They were three-wide attacking him the whole way and I thought he held his own and boxed on really well.”
Hilton said a slightly longer gap between runs had the gelding primed to perform.
“Bjorn just gave him that bit of extra time between runs when he came back, and he looked fantastic in the yard.
“His work during the week was super and Nash gets on with him well.”
Rawiller completed a treble on the program and admitted he had a nervous moment in the straight.
“He’s a tough bugger,” Rawiller said.
“The way they all got to him at the top of the rise, I thought geez, I’ve been a bit pretty here.
“But I think they get tired chasing him and when he gave that kick, he is just so tough and honest.”
Sandpaper has now claimed two stakes wins since joining Baker, adding to his Group 3 Newcastle Stakes (1400m) success last March.