Superstorm nosed out Elephant to win the Group 2 Feehan Stakes at The Valley and earn a golden ticket into the Cox Plate

Superstorm has won the $500,000 Group 2 Feehan Stakes at The Valley nosing out previously unbeaten New Zealander The Elephant and in doing so earn a golden ticket in the Cox Plate.

Superstorm noses out Elephant in the Feehan Stakes. Photo: Vince Caligiuri–Getty Images

Storm warnings dominated the preamble to the Cox Plate-qualifying Group 2 Feehan Stakes and the postscript, as jockey Damien Oliver nailed a rails-hugging ride to win the feature aboard Superstorm.

While trainer Danny O’Brien stopped short of committing the West Australian galloper for the $5m Cox Plate next month Superstorm still looks set for a big carnival.

Superstorm put in an eye-catching performance first-up in PB Lawrence Stakes and on Saturday benefited from an “Oliver special” to claim the $500,000 prize and Cox Plate golden ticket.

“I’ll speak to (owner) Bob Peters and he’ll decide where the horse will be best placed,” O’Brien said.

“We really wanted to see how he went in the early part of the spring.

“I suspect the Underwood (Stakes) next run in three weeks … a big track like Sandown will suit too.

“It is only going to get harder, there’s a lot of really nice horses going around in Sydney today so we’re pleased to get on the board and looking forward to the rest of the spring with him.”

Superstorm, runner-up in the Australian Guineas and All-Star Mile as a three-year-old, had 10 months off after failing to come up in the 2020 spring carnival.

But the second-up win, which ended an 18-month drought, was full of merit.

There's a SUPERSTORM at @TheValley! 😍

Superstorm books his ticket into the 2021 Cox Plate. 💪@[e-mail]/neBLpwJcv1

— Racing.com (@Racing) September 4, 2021

Oliver, now a four-time winner of the Feehan after triumphs aboard Northerly (2001), Fields Of Omagh (2002) and Whobegotyou (2009), never went around a horse to touch off Elephant in a pulsating finish.

Stayers The Chosen One and Nonconformist put in nice Caulfield Cup trials, closing sharply from back in the field to round out the top four.

After being disappointed for a run on Argentia earlier in the day, Oliver got the necessary breaks when Streets Of Avalon rolled off the fence turning for home in the Feehan.

“I was hoping more than anything,” Oliver said.

“He hasn’t got a brilliant turn of foot but he does build his momentum.

“It is probably not the ideal track here for him but he’s always shown good quality and when the gaps opened up he was able to get through well.

“The fence probably hasn’t been the place to be today but they went steady in that race so the tempo helped us in being able to sneak through and get the run when we did.”

Originally published as Superstorm nosed out Elephant to win the Group 2 Feehan Stakes at The Valley and earn a golden ticket into the Cox Plate