Best horse, best trainer, best jockey.
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Chris Waller called his stable "a runaway train" after Press Statement took out the Caulfield Guineas in a style that could be described similarly with Hugh Bowman in the saddle.
It completed a three-year-old group 1 double for Waller after Vanbrugh had won the Spring Champion Stakes at Randwick, but the trainer put Press Statement's win down to his jockey.
Bowman is riding with confidence and focus that few can match. He threw away the plan after a couple of strides, which was to go to the back.
"That's why you have Hughie. As soon as he jumped like he did, he made the decision to go forward," Waller said. "I knew what he was thinking.
"We were going back but when you have the best horse you want to take the variables out of it. Hughie knew we had a target on our back and he threw it away. He made the right choice, which he does a lot."
Bowman had already ridden a double on Amovatio and Amralah, the latter in the Herbert Power Stakes, and both were decisive. In particular Amralah where he made a mid-race move that delivered the Lloyd Williams horse a place in the Caulfield Cup.
But the Guineas ride was a masterpiece. Press Statement sprung from the gates in front and Bowman didn't hesitate. He pushed forward up the hill, which had been the undoing of Pierro three years ago.
It was the bravest move and might only have come about because he was beaten on the Thousand Guineas favourite Pasadena Girl, but that was Bowman's belief in the colt he had underneath him.
"I was indecisive on Pasadena Girl and got trapped wide," Bowman told connections. "I had been on him a couple of times and I had a real confidence in him. I was caught wide on him and I thought I just don't need this. He was into stride and I thought, bang, just get there [to the front]. I had confidence in his manners and he came back to me.
"Turning for home instead of dropping and going bang, he was looking around. He took a little while [to] go but when he did, that was it.
"He is still untapped, so the best might be yet to come."
Press Statement wobbled out to the middle of the track but just stretched away from his rivals, with the margin on the line 1 lengths from Lizard Island with Ready For Victory another neck away in third.
"Group 1 horses need group 1 temperaments and this is what this horse has," Bowman said. "He ticks all the boxes. To me he is still physically undeveloped and I shudder to think what he could grow into."
The Cox Plate is always a temptation for a dominant Guineas winner like Press Statement but Waller is known for his kindness to his horses and there are races in the autumn and possibly Europe for him after going from a stallion prospect to the real deal. "He is a horse that has a lot more in front of him," part-owner Vinery Stud's Peter Orton said.
"We bought him as a boy with potential, he has lived up to that. We will sit down and look at everything before making a decision."
But the last word has to go to Waller, who has five group 1s for the season and 53 in total.
"I have promoted this horse and he keeps delivering," Waller said. "It'd be a pretty big ask to go that far [2040m of the Cox Plate]. Does he need to? Is it going to change his value? I don't think so."
