A stakes-winner at two and third to Giga Kick in the Group II VRC Danehill Stakes last spring, three year-old Capitalist colt Cannonball resumed from a spell at Rosehill on Saturday and defeated older rivals to win the Group III ATC Maurice McCarten Stakes (1100m).

Trained by Peter and Paul Snowden and ridden by Brett Prebble, Cannonball raced forward and kicked on strongly to the line to win by more than a length taking his overall record to three wins from nine starts with prizemoney topping $350,000.

“He’s always going to improve off the back of it. We’ve got the luxury of seeing the sectionals come up every furlong on the TV and he wasn’t going hard. He was going well within himself and I thought ‘gee he should have a little kick in the locker here, surely’,” said Paul Snowden.

“He was just too good for them and obviously Brett (Prebble) riding at that true weight of 53kg, it kicked in late.”

Brett Prebble believes there is more to come from Cannonball.

“Every piece of work he’s doing, every race, he’s only going to get tighter and fitter for it. Obviously, he’ll need to because the bar is going to be risen, so I’ll believe he is going to take those steps,” said Prebble.

A $975,000 Magic Millions purchase from the Newgate Farm draft for James Harron Bloodstock, Cannonball was bred by China Horse Club, Newgate and partners and was the most expensive yearling by Capitalist sold at Magic Millions in 2021.

He is a full brother to Group II winner Marine One and is the second winner from stakes-winning Snitzel mare Golconda, who was also third in the Group I VRC Oaks.

Golconda has a yearling filly by Written Tycoon that was sold by Newgate for $300,000 at Magic Millions this year to Malua Bloodstock.