Captain Sonador kept trainer Roger Milne's Cox Plate dream alive with a brilliant comeback victory at Eagle Farm.Captain Sonador, having his first start since undergoing knee surgery following his Rosehill Guineas failure in March, produced a sensational performance to down Ulladulla by 1-3/4 lengths in Saturday's Salt Design Handicap (1200m).Jockey Chris Munce was forced to have the four-year-old at the tail of the field before setting the son of Shamardal alight on the home turn."I hadn't plan
Captain Sonador kept trainer Roger Milne's Cox Plate dream alive with a brilliant comeback victory at Eagle Farm.
Captain Sonador, having his first start since undergoing knee surgery following his Rosehill Guineas failure in March, produced a sensational performance to down Ulladulla by 1-3/4 lengths in Saturday's Salt Design Handicap (1200m).
Jockey Chris Munce was forced to have the four-year-old at the tail of the field before setting the son of Shamardal alight on the home turn.
"I hadn't planned to ride him that way and I would have preferred to have been up closer," Munce said.
"I threw plans A and B out the window and reverted to plan C.
"He's a very good horse and his fitness was the only query but his class told in the end.
"He's up to the bigger races in the south and has to be given a go."
Milne was devastated when Captain Sonador was stripped behind in the Rosehill Guineas but worse news came a few days later when X-rays revealed the entire had bone chips in both front knees which required surgery.
"He's back better than ever," Milne said.
"I said when he was a two and three-year-old you wouldn't see the best from him until he matured.
"He's still not wound up yet and this was just a stepping stone to Sydney."
Captain Sonador will now go south for the Group Two Shannon Stakes (1500m) at Rosehill on September 18 and the Group One Epsom Handicap (1600m) at Randwick a fortnight later.
"The dream is the Cox Plate in Melbourne but he'd have to win the Epsom or run a mighty race to warrant going there," Milne said.
Milne is not afraid of heading to Melbourne and another clash with long-time rival, AJC Australian Derby winner Shoot Out.
The pair have met three times, in the Magic Millions Trophy at the Gold Coast in January and in the Group One Randwick Guineas and Group Two Hobartville Stakes at Rosehill during the autumn.
"Shoot Out finished in front of us every time but that was when my horse had knee problems," Milne said.
Earlier, Toowoomba trainer Neville Saunders celebrated his first metropolitan winner in Brisbane when Equissential scored a narrow victory in the Queensland Reef And Beef Handicap (1600m).
Saunders took over as head trainer in Queensland for owners Kevin and Tanith O'Brien when his former boss Ron Maund was disqualified last year.
He worked as head foreman for Maund for 40 years and was in charge of former glamour mare Gold Edition whenever she raced interstate.
"I've been training for about 16 months now but this is my first metropolitan winner in Brisbane," Saunders said.
"My only previous city winner was with Sequallan at Toowoomba when it was a metropolitan meeting to celebrate the opening of the cushion track last year."