Mental is exciting

Exciting three-year-old Lonhro gelding Mental became the 33rd individual Stakes winner for his Champion sire with a scintillating win in the G3 Fred Best Classic over 1350m at Doomben on May 19.

Trained by Peter Snowdwn, Mental posted an outstanding win over older horses at Hawkesbury on May 5 and reproduced the performance to defeat stronger opposition in the same decisive manner, winning by one-and-a-half lengths.

Mental settled midfield before the gelding produced a withering burst to score comfortably to posted his first Stakes success, as well as his fifth win, at just his eighth start.

The Darley homebred is also the first Stakes winner out of the Night Shift mare Intrigues, a daughter of the blue hen producer Shaybisc. Shaybisc was the dam of three individual Stakes winners, including Sashed, who foaled the G1 winner Freemason and is also the grand-dam of Lonhro's Listed winner Serenissima.

Earlier in the day two-year-old Lonhro gelding Academus finished a very narrow second at only his second start when contesting the G2 Champagne Classic.

Lonhro is now the sire of 33 Stakes winners including this season's undefeated two-year-old Triple Crown winner Pierro, with Mental becoming the 17th Group winner for the Champion racehorse and sire who will stand the forthcoming season at Darley Kelvinside for $110,000 (inc. GST) alongside his G1-winning sons Denman ($33,000 (inc. GST)) and Benfica ($11,000 (inc. GST)).