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Aquanita trainer Robert Smerdon was delighted with the win by Fontiton in Inglis Banner at Moonee Valley this afternoon.

Ït was an awesome win” said Smerdon. “Originally she was work just to get a bit of education and development but every time we did something with her she handled it so well that we continued on and we ended up at the races without ever expecting that she was an early two-year-old type”.

“If you have a look at her there she’s got good height and length about her and good scope. We think she’s a filly that should stretch out, hopefully to 1600 (metres) and, I know it sounds cliché when they win that she will be better later but you’d like to think as a three-year-old next year she’d be running 1600-metres and maybe she’s a Thousand Guineas filly.

“She might go to the Maribyrnong (Plate) on the Final Day (at Flemington). Today was a rich race for her and winning that, she’s paid for herself now with the prizemoney but there’s no black-type attached so if we can have a look at the Maribyrnong, maybe get some black-type, it just shores up her long-term value and then maybe go out and look at better races in the autumn.”

The filly by Turffontein out of Personal Ensign was purchased by Matchem Racing at the 2014 Inglis Melbourne Premier sale for $121,000 – her selection based in part on a state of the art DNA and Cardio testing process that helps to identify racehorses that may have the genetic make up to become elite performers.

Developed in the United States by Australian born patriot Byron Rogers and his company Performance Genetics, Matchem Racing uses DNA and Cardio analysis of yearlings to identify genetic markers of elite performing thoroughbreds.

It does so by comparing the results with an extensive database of proven black type horses from around the world that Performance Genetics have assembled.

Smerdon said he was excited by the use of the new technology and saw it as a valuable overlay on the successful processes that Aquanita have employed for a number of years.

'When Matchem approached me late in 2013 about using their services at the upcoming yearling sales I thought it would provide me with access to another variable when identifying yearlings to purchase" Smerdon said.

"We used their system to test a large number of prospects, several of which we ultimately bought and were very impressed with the additional information it provided us. And their selection of the Turffontein filly could not be faulted.

"Not only was it a cracking type of horse physically, it tested extremely well on its DNA and Cardio results" he added.

The DNA testing involves taking a strand of hair from each horse and then testing the DNA against established benchmarked values to get a theoretical profile for the horse.

“We can learn a lot from DNA testing. Of course it is not fool proof, other factors like confirmation, temperament and over all bone structure all come into play as well.” said Smerdon.

Meanwhile Cardio testing involves an ultra-sound examination of the heart which can reveal a lot about the capacity of a horse to perform as a sprinter or stayer.

“The ultra-sound can tell us a lot about how we should train each horse as well,” said Smerdon, “Things like the wall thickness of the heart can be very useful in knowing what races it will be best suited in and how we should train them.”

Smerdon said the DNA and Cardio testing service would continue to form part of the overall yearling selection process for Aquanita.