A racing career that hit G1 highs and also fell to deep lows ended in elation for Kementari on Saturday when he won the G3 AJ Scahill Stakes at Ascot in Perth.
The son of Lonhro hadn’t won for more than 1000 days and had seemed destined to drift out of service without fanfare or celebration.
But thanks to the tireless efforts of trainer James Cummings and his team, he produced a supreme effort in the Schaill, stamping his superiority on a race he won with pure class.
Kementari won at his second start as a two-year-old and was narrowly beaten in the G1 Caulfield Guineas at three in the spring of 2017.
He then returned as an autumn three-year-old the following year to win, in succession, the G3 Eskimo Prince Stakes, the G2 Hobartville Stake and the G1 Randwick Guineas.
At four he finished second in open company in the G1 Memsie Stakes and G1 CF Orr Stakes and was third in the G1 Manikato Stakes before being retired to stand alongside his sire after his autumn campaign in 2019.
But Kementari failed at stud and returned to racing in March of this year, showing promise, but failing to win in seven starts in Sydney and Melbourne before being sent across the continent to Perth and was having his third start there in the Scahill.
Taken back from the start by Chris Parnham, Kementari made his move with 400m to run, sliding out into clear ground before producing a stunning burst that carried him to a two-length lead at the 200m.
He won, eased down, by a length from Celebrity Queen with Dance Music in third place.
Kementari is one of 89 Stakes winners by Lonhro, who at the age of 22 has just completed another season at stud at Kelvinside, NSW at a fee of $66,000.
