Hugo Palmer’s The Waco Kid produced a career-best performance when staying on strongly in testing conditions to claim the Group 3 Tattersalls Stakes at Newmarket.
An impressive winner at Newbury on his second career outing, Hugo Palmer's runner has since competed solely in stakes company, finishing fifth in the Group 2 Richmond Stakes before creditable efforts in the Group 3 Acomb Stakes and Listed Flying Scotsman Stakes over seven furlongs.
Persistent rain forced conditions to change from good-to-soft to soft all over earlier on the cards, but that proved no problem for The Waco Kid, who was sent straight to the front under Oisin Murphy.
The champion jockey elect made his intentions clear from the outset, moving his mount towards the seemingly more-favoured stands' side rail following a swift exit from the stalls. Murphy continued to dictate fractions on the front end, with the two fancied runners Monumental and Symbol Of Honour both tracking the pacesetting The Waco Kid in behind. The tempo began to lift as the field entered the final two furlongs and while a whole host of challengers were queuing up to have a crack at The Waco Kid, Hugo Palmer's charge continued to lengthen through the mud on the front end.
The unbeaten Diego Ventura emerged as the final threat down the outside, but he couldn't match the finishing kick of The Waco Kid, who eventually fought off his rivals to score by a comfortable two and three-quarter lengths.
Aidan O'Brien's 5/4 market leader Monumental finished a further length and three-quarters behind in third.
Speaking of the 13/2 winner, Palmer said: "I think he's very typical of the stallion and Mehmas seems to be taking the mantle of Kodiac and you would always think if someone sent you a Kodiac, there was a ready-made winner for next year and I feel the same about Mehmas as well. They are just so tough and go on every ground.
"This has to be a career-best and I think what is lovely about this horse is he has produced career-best after career-best on every start. He's not the biggest in the world and we've tried to make as much of his two-year-old season as we can, and I'm absolutely delighted.
"He probably deserves a step up in grade, but I suspect I've made the most terrible mess of it because he did have nice entries. I think after he was only Listed third and I needed to confirm for the Dewhurst and that sort of thing, I probably took him out and out of the Lagardere as well.
"There's the Group 1 in France, the Criterium International, we might go there, but we will see. Saint-Cloud would look his bag, but he is not the biggest and he is in the horses in training sale at the end of the month.
"We will just have to look at dates and he is likely to be one of Tattersalls' star lots there. The Breeders' Cup could be an option as well, but we will just have to see.
On how the race panned out, Murphy said: "Hugo felt it was a good opportunity today and said I should make more use of him and maybe grab the rail.
"It's rare he has an instruction, but he really made it worthwhile, and I'm delighted to get the job done.
"He looked like on his last run he would appreciate being ridden prominently and he was a simple ride. He has really improved for racing and training."
