Mark Minervini-trained King's Duty overcame trouble at the barriers and an alarming betting drift to dominate on debut on his home track of Newcastle on Monday (30th).
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King's Duty, a three-year-old Exosphere gelding carrying the colours of prominent owner and breeder Gerry Harvey, had won trials at Scone, Muswellbrook and Wyong and was odds-on in early markets for the 1150m maiden plate on the Beaumont track.
However, his price drifted to $4.60 as barrier attendants worked overtime to eventually load the reluctant galloper.
Starting from gate eight, King's Duty worked forward to take up the lead and jockey Mikayla Weir rated him perfectly before asking for an effort at the top of the straight. He sprinted clear to win by two and a half lengths on the heavy 9 surface.
Minervini was clearly relieved after the race.
"There's a bit of pressure with that horse, everyone has been spruiking him for a while now and we ummed and aahed whether to scratch him today and I thought we've got to face the starter at some stage," Minervini told Sky Racing.
"He was a bit tricky going in the barriers but, look, I think he's got a ton of ability, so we've just got to work with what we've got.
"He's pretty good. I can't wait to see him ridden a bit colder, probably in a better race on a bigger track. We can ride him cold and he'll be rocketing home."
Weir believed King's Duty "didn't get through [the wet track] that well but was just too good for them".
Despite the barrier dramas, she said King's Duty was improving.
"I think he's just scared, he's just very frightened of everything and he's just very raw in that sense," she said.
"He is getting better, to what he was, so just to get him in today and go around is a huge step forward."
Weir ended the day with a double, taking Nevada Smoke to victory for Taree trainer Jim Louizos in the benchmark 58 handicap (1150m).
Paul Perry-trained Just One Look was perhaps the most impressive winner on the day, making up huge ground late in the class 1 handicap (1150m).
A distant last early, Just One Look was four lengths off leader Lady Fraulein inside the final 200m but launched to catch her on the line.
It was part of a winning double for jockey Reece Jones, who earlier took Moon Over Alice to victory for John Sprague in the class 3 handicap (1350m).
"It was a really impressive win, he really grinded and chased really hard," Jones said of Just One Look.
Bjorn Baker-trained Fearless Thinking, with Winona Costin aboard, was another to appreciate the heavy going, winning the fillies and mares maiden plate (1150m) with an inside run.
"She jumped really well, the tempo was just nice throughout, we got a really good travel into the race, I was able to obtain the inside and she kept fighting hard," Costin said.