Sydney to get a taste of three-time Group 1 winner Buffering

THE Buffering Group 1 train kept rolling in Perth - just - and the next stop will be the rich Sydney autumn carnival.

Connections celebrate as Buffering edges out Moment Of Change in the Winterbottom Stakes. Picture: Graeme Collopy

THE Buffering train just keeps rolling - and the next stop will be the Sydney autumn carnival.

The nation's new favourite sprinter made it a Group 1 hat-trick with a stirring nose victory in the Winterbottom Stakes (1200m) at Ascot.

In a bruising encounter, Buffering ($2 fav) was made to work hard all the way by local champ Barakey and he was left a sitting shot for the Peter Moody trained Moment Of Change ($7) but had his nose down when it counted.

Watermans Bay ($41) held off a luckless Spirit Of Boom to run third. Barakey weakened to finish ninth.

Trainer Robert Heathcote declared Buffering, for so long the Group 1 bridesmaid, the nation's best sprinter and laid out plans to tackle the Sydney autumn, Brisbane winter and Hong Kong in 2014.

"Buff put his hand up and he goes to the paddock the number one sprinter in the land,'' Heathcote said.

Jockey Damian Browne returns to scale after winning his third Group 1 on Buffering. Picture: Graeme Collopy

"It's hard to travel off the fence, half a length in front of one, because they don't get a chance to get into their breathing rhythm.

"Moment Of Change is a genuine Group 1 horse and this is a special moment.''

Jockey Damian Browne was full of praise for Buffering.

"To his credit he really dug deep, it was very tough, they didn't want to hand it to us on a plate,'' Browne said.

Buffering lived in the shadow of Black Caviar and Hay List for a few seasons but since the retirement of both stars the Queenslander has come of age.

He broke his Group 1 maiden in the Manikato Stakes at Moonee Valley in October at his 18th attempt at the top level and followed it up with the VRC Sprint Classic on the final day at Flemington before conquering the west.

"To win three in a row at any time is unbelievable but to win three Group 1s I'm a bit speechless,'' Heathcote said.

Connections celebrate as Buffering edges out Moment Of Change in the Winterbottom Stakes. Picture: Graeme Collopy

"We always hoped if I kept him sound he'd be a genuine Group 1 horse. What we do is we love a battler and a trier and he wasn't winning Group 1s but he was always there.''

Heathcote said Buffering would have one lead-up race to the $2.5m TJ Smith Stakes (1200m) during 'The Championships' at Randwick - the Challenge Stakes at Rosehill in March.

He'll then return home for the Brisbane winter and the BTC Cup and Doomben 10,000 before Heathcote plots a path to the Hong Kong International Sprint.

All jockey Luke Nolen could do after Moment Of Change's narrow defeat was shrug his shoulders and say 'almost'.

There was almost a dramatic postscript to the Winterbottom when connections of Spirit Of Boom, who ran fourth, considered protesting against Buffering for interference early in the race.

It might have been shades of the controversial Railway Stakes protest of 2011 - Spirit Of Boom was almost put over the running rail by Barakey, who rolled in to avoid Buffering as he attempted to find the fence, but recovered to run fourth.