Lightly raced Pencarrow mare Golden (NZ) (Eminent) took a big step forward in her promising career with victory in Thursday’s $18,500 NEMS Medical (2000m) on the Cambridge synthetic track.

Trained by Steven Ramsay and Julia Ritchie, Golden has now had five starts for a win, a second, a third and a fourth, earning $18,530 in stakes.

Golden made a near-perfect debut at Matamata back in January, finishing second and missing out on victory by a mere nose. She didn’t have all favours when third and seventh in the other two starts of her three-year-old preparation. She resumed with a strong-finishing fourth over 1550 metres on September 18, and the step up to 2000 metres on Thursday made all the difference.

Golden jumped only fairly from the starting gate and settled in second-last for the majority of the race. Jockey Sam Weatherley angled her to the outside after rounding the home turn, and the four-year-old lengthened stride and rolled home over the top of Islebefine (Brazen Beau) to win by a length.

Golden was bred by Pencarrow Thoroughbreds Ltd and is raced by Sir Peter Vela, whose famous blue and white hooped colours were also worn by the winner’s sire Eminent.

Sir Peter Vela raced Eminent throughout a 14-start career that began in the United Kingdom with a victory at Newmarket as a two-year-old. He added the Group Three Prix Guillaume d’Ornano (2000m) at Deauville and Newmarket’s Group Three Craven Stakes (1600m) as a three-year-old, along with a third in the Group One Irish Champion Stakes (2000m) and a fourth in the Group One Epsom Derby (2400m).

An Irish-bred son of the legendary racehorse and superb sire Frankel, Eminent later travelled to Australia, where he ran second behind Avilius (Pivotal) in the Group One Ranvet Stakes (2000m) at Rosehill. Now he has made a promising start at stud, with 15 early winners including the Pencarrow-owned Golden, Unequivocal (NZ), Sunset Boulevard (NZ) and Uplifting (NZ).

Golden is the first foal out of the unraced Aline (NZ) (O’Reilly), whose dam Perrine (NZ) (Zabeel) is a full-sister to the exceptional Grand Echezeaux (NZ) (Zabeel).

Herself the winner of the Group One Australasian Oaks (2000m), Grand Echezeaux is the dam of the top-class racehorses and sires Darci Brahma (NZ) (Danehill) and Burgundy (NZ) (Redoute’s Choice), along with fellow black-type performers Echezeaux (NZ) (Encosta De Lago) and Saperavi (NZ) (Stravinsky).

Grand Echezeaux is a three-quarter-sister to the high-class Romanee Conti (NZ) (Sir Tristram), whose daughter Ethereal (NZ) (Rhythm) went on to become the greatest horse to race in the Pencarrow colours, while Grand Echezeaux’s full-sister Our Echezeaux (NZ) (Zabeel) is the dam of three stakes winners.