Tofane and Zahra Shine in Caulfield's Orr Stakes

Everywhere you looked, jockey Mark Zahra was in a hurry at Caulfield late on Feb. 12.

He was in a hurry to get to the lead on outstanding mare Tofane, as she began her last racing campaign in the first Australian top-level stakes of the year, the Neds C.F. Orr Stakes (G1).

He was in a hurry to kick clear in the home straight, then continued his work by pushing the 6-year-old mare to an imperious 1 1/2-length win.

With that race in the bag, Zahra was in another one—the rush to get back to scale, get showered, and get out of there.

Zahra missed the presentation ceremony for the AU$750,000 feature, which capped a successful return since the start of the year after his four-month ban from the infamous Airbnb affair. Having received another, week-long, "stewards holiday," the 39-year-old decided to head to the United States to witness the Super Bowl.

He high-tailed it across town to Melbourne airport for a Saturday evening flight to Los Angeles, to make it to the L.A. Rams—Cincinnati Bengals season-decider Feb. 13.

He could look forward to 15 hours in the air to contemplate his 20th group 1 success, after Tofane took her earnings past AU$3 million and showed she remains well and truly amid the top echelon of Australian sprinter-milers with her eighth win from 27 starts.

While the Mike Moroney-trained mare completed a group 1 double at Eagle Farm last June with the TAB Stradbroke Handicap (G1) and Sky Racing Tattersall's Tiara (G1), questions had been asked after a winless four-run Melbourne spring—particularly her unplaced efforts when fourth in the PFD Food Services Makybe Diva Stakes (G1) and her campaign-closing seventh in the TAB Empire Rose Stakes (G1), when sent off the AU$2.90 favorite.

But resuming Saturday at 1,400 meters (about seven furlongs)—the distance of all three of her previous elite level successes—Tofane did the trick again in fine style.

The question of leadership was quickly settled at the start, when the other mooted frontrunner, 3-year-old Lightsaber, hopelessly missed the jump from gate 5.

Zahra swiftly went to the front from barrier 8 and rated Tofane superbly as the AU$7 equal-third-favorite enjoyed a low-pressure run at the head of the field and comfortably went clear after turning for home.

In an all-mares quinella, she won from the again-impressive Maher-Eustace 5-year-old U.S. import Lighthouse , with Godolphin's consistent Cascadian  taking third a further neck away.

LNJ Foxwoods' Lighthouse won the 2020 Music City Stakes at Kentucky Downs during her days racing in America.

Highly-rated I'm Thunderstruck was a drifter to AU$7 after comments from co-trainer Mick Price the 4-year-old—being aimed at the All Star Mile—would take benefit from the run. He eased towards the back from gate 11 and made fair ground in the straight to finish fifth, beaten 3 1/4 lengths.

Anthony and Sam Freedman's Irish import Sinawann  showed little in a disappointing eighth, while favorite Behemoth sat just off leader Tofane before weakening into an abject 10th.

Having put her broodmare career on hold last year, Moroney confirmed after the race Tofane would be sold after this campaign at the Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale to begin her breeding career.

But more group 1 targets are in mind this autumn, first the Futurity Stakes (G1) over this same favored trip at Caulfield on Feb. 26. It's likely another attempt at Randwick's All Aged Stakes (G1)—which the daughter of Ocean Park won in 2020—would then lie ahead.

"She was never going to be beaten from a long way out,'' Moroney said of the daughter of the bush-winning Galileo mare Baggy Green, who is one of three group 1 victors by Waikato Stud's Ocean Park along with multiple elite-level winner Kolding, and Barfoot & Thompson Auckland Cup (G1) victor Ocean Billy.

"We'll go to the Futurity and then we'll either stay here or head up to Sydney. Sydney would be her swansong I would say and then she will go through the sales ring at Magic Millions."

Tofane is one of four winners out of Baggy Green, herself a three-quarter sister to group 1 winner Funstar, while she counts another group 1-winning mare, Youngstar, among her half siblings. In 2020 Baggy Green produced a sister to Tofane.