Saturday racing started well for Newgate Farm’s value sire Wandjina with his talented sprinter Express Pass scoring a stylish victory at Caulfield, his second win in a row since being gelded, while his star performer Mamaragan resumed with a gallant third in the Group III ATC San Domenico Stakes.

A brilliant Group II winner last season, Mamaragan was also placed in the Group I ATC Golden Slipper and Sires Produce Stakes before heading for a well-earned spell.

The John Thompson trained colt was tuned up with a couple of recent trials and ran home solidly for third in race record time behind Anders and Peltzer.

He will no doubt take good improvement from the run and is on target for the Group I ATC Golden Rose on September 26.

Express Pass has always shown above average talent in the Nick Ryan stable being stakes-placed twice from his first three starts, but indifferent form after that has seen him gelded, which appears to have been a winning move.

Express Pass overcame difficulties to win at Bendigo when resuming on July 29 and kept up the good work when finishing off with a rush to win the Benchmark 78 event over 1100m by the best part of a length.

“This horse has always shown promise and now that he’s been gelded has been able to string a couple wins together,” said Nick Ryan.

Express Pass was a modest $38,000 Inglis VOBIS Gold purchase for JJ Consultants / Nick Ryan Racing from the Blue Gum Farm draft and has the overall record of three wins and three placings from nine starts with prizemoney in excess of $125,000.

He is the best of three winners from well related More Than Ready (USA) mare Pass the Parcel, who comes from the family of Group I winners Kementari and Sterling City. She was covered again by Wandjina last spring.

Now with his mind on the job, Express Pass looks a future stakes-winner for Snitzel’s Group I winning son Wandjina, who stands at Newgate Farm at a fee of $11,000 this spring.