Tavistock’s son Young Werther produced a perfect dress rehearsal for an upcoming Group 1 feature when he coasted to victory at Flemington in the Australian Cup Prelude over 1800 metres.The Cambridge Stud graduate had finished third when resuming off a break in G3 Carlyon Cup over a mile at Caulfield last month and with natural improvement he had no trouble putting his rivals away at Melbourne headquarters.“He had trained on really well and the four weeks break between runs suited him, he was happy to be back at Flemington,” O’Brien said.“The Australian Cup in three weeks’ time is the goal over 2000 metres will be perfect for him.”Young Werther was sent out a dominant favourite and rider Damian Lane was happy to take him to the front and out of harm’s way.They forged clear 300 metres from home and cruised the post with two and a-half lengths to spare.“They way the race set up for him at the weights, he was clearly the class horse of the race and we didn’t want to get caught up in any traffic so we were happy to lead,” O’Brien said.Young Werther has now won four races and his class is emphasised with Group 1 placings in the Australian and Victorian Derbys, the Mackinnon Stakes and two editions of the Turnbull Stakes.Bought out of the farm’s Karaka draft for $140,000, he is a brother to the multiple winner Villaden with dam the Fastnet Rock mare Romantic Time.Her four foals to race have all been successful and includes our American Pharoah filly About Time, successful in this season’s G2 Sir Patrick Hogan Stakes.A half-sister to the G2 Silver Slipper Stakes winner Amelia’s Dream, Romantic Time’s son of Savabeel sold to Te Akau’s David Ellis for $300,000 at Karaka this year.She had an Almanzor colt last season.

Regally bred mare Countess Jenni has added to her record with a gallant display over 1900 metres at Kyneton.The Ciaron Maher representative has been lightly raced and the five-year-old daughter of the late Tavistock has now won two of her seven starts.Countess Jenni settled back of midfield before she progressed wide around runners 800 metres form home and answered every call from rider Declan Bates in the run home to get the upper hand.We bred Countess Jenni who was sold to the Ottobre family under their Cape Schanck banner at New Zealand Bloodstock’s National Yearling Sale for $260,000.She is a daughter of the Zabeel mare Diamond Smile, a sister to the G1 Australian Derby winner and sire Don Eduardo and half-sister to the dual top-flight winner Tristalove.A member of the legendary Eight Carat clan, Diamond Smile has produced four winners including the Group 1 performer Capital Diamond, dam of the G2 Wakefield Challenge Stakes winner Gift Of Power.The late Diamond Smile is also the granddam of the G3 Wellington Guineas winner Devastate and her last foal is an unraced two-year-old colt by Tivaci.

Stakes performer Defining has made an immediate impact from her new Sydney quarters with a strong performance to win at Warwick Farm off a lengthy break.Patience was key to our homebred mare’s first-up success over 1400 metres for Annabel Neasham after winning twice and finishing runner-up in the Listed Nitschke Stakes from Tony and Calvin McEvoy’s stable.Defining hadn’t raced since she ran second at Sandown nearly a year ago and was subsequently offered at the Inglis Chairman’s Sale where she sold to Mitchell Bloodstock and Yes Bloodstock for A$280,000.“When she first came in, she was a bit sore in behind so we tipped her out again and then she came back in terrific order,” Neasham said.Defining was given two trials this time around before she came off a handy sit under Nash Rawiller to prove superior to her Benchmark 72 rivals and her third win from 12 appearances.“That was a really good performance and a good ride from Nash, he’s a genius,” Neasham said.“She’s been off for a long time so she can only improve.”We originally sold Defining for $225,000 at New Zealand Bloodstock’s National Yearling Sale and she is out of the Encosta De Lago’s Group performed daughter Seduced, whose dam Dama De Noche won the G3 Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes.Seduced is a half-sister to multiple stakes winner Nocturnelle and produced a filly last year by Hello Youmzain.