Generalife Wins The Listed Winter Stakes

He may not be at the top of the Darley tree, but Generalife's second successive stakes win has cemented him as a valuable member of Sheikh Mohammed's Australian team.

The four-year-old was unchallenged in betting as the $2.60 favourite for Saturday's Listed Winter Stakes (1400m) at Rosehill and lived up to expectations.

Kerrin McEvoy had Generalife in a handy position and drove him out of the pack inside the final 200 metres.

Generalife responded to hold off Romantic Moon ($8.50) by 1-1/4 lengths with Scream Machine ($4.40) another neck third to add the Winter Stakes to his Civic Stakes win.

"This is his level," trainer John O'Shea said.

"He is a good Listed, Group Three type of horse and he loves a dry track which he got today.

"He is a horse in a good frame of mind and Kerrin is riding really well. He just gets the job done."

The next time Generalife runs he will be sporting the Godolphin blue after the announcement this week that Darley Australia would be rebranded in the new season as part of the sheikh's global racing operation.

All horses with No.1 trainer O'Shea will wear blue with the maroon and white to be carried only by selected horses trained by Gai Waterhouse and Anthony Freedman.

McEvoy is more than familiar with the royal blue having ridden for Sheikh Mohammed in Dubai and Europe before returning to Australia as stable rider when the sheikh bought Woodlands from Bob Ingham.

He was also impressed with Generalife who was ridden by Sam Clipperton in the Civic Stakes when McEvoy was on holiday.

"It's good to see him put a few together," McEvoy said.

"He is jumping well and getting into a good spot which helps."

O'Shea said a Group Three 1400-metre race at Flemington on Victoria Derby day was the target for the son of Lonhro who earlier this week set an Australian sires' record for winners in a season.

Generalife's win brought up a race-to-race double for McEvoy who won the 1200-metre Benchmark 74 on the Gerald Ryan-trained Runway Star.

The filly has had issues with her manners in previous starts and has been sent back to barrier trials more than once.

In her latest trial, she was allowed to jump and roll along and the same tactics were adopted on Saturday when the $5 chance held off Coolring ($4.80) by a length.