Saturday, 5 May 2012: Auckland Cup winner Shez Sinsational held off a late surge from Lights Of Heaven to prevail in a pulsating finish to Saturday's $300,000 Group 2 Hollindale Stakes.
The Gold Coast judges deliberated over the winning photo for two minutes before deciding the New Zealand mare had hung on for her third straight win this campaign, and first salute in Australia.
And the three-time Group 1 winner could well find herself back on these shores in the spring time as a serious cups contender in Melbourne.
Shez Sinsational 
looked home for trainer Allan Sharrock at the 200m before
Lights Of Heaven loomed up and almost stole it late on.
German import
Mawingo headed the rest home in third spot.
Sharrock's brilliant four-year-old warmed up for this afternoon's win with a narrow open-handicap triumph at Tauranga over seven furlongs, 45 days after a fighting victory over the testing two miles of the Auckland Cup.
Zabeel mare Lights Of Heaven meanwhile ran seventh behind
More Joyous on Golden Slipper day in the Group 1 Queen Of the Turf Stakes (1500m) at Rosehill prior to this afternoon's effort.
Earlier on at the Gold Coast yesterday
Celtic Dancer caused a major boilover in the listed Prime Minister's Cup finishing a head clear of the well-backed
Mid Summer Music .
The 2009 Golden Slipper winner and Newmarket Handicap fourth placegetter
Phelan Ready was a length further back in third.
And
Sizzling continued the excellent run of
Snitzel two-year-olds this autumn with a dominant resuming win in the listed Ken Russell Memorial Classic (1200m).
The Kelso Wood colt finished four-and-a-half lengths clear of
Dances On Stars in his first run since finishing fourth in the Magic Million Classic in January.
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