One season Twin Hills shuttler Bobby’s Kitten (USA) is off the mark in Australia after the Richard Laming-trained gelding Cecil Street Lad made a winning career debut over 1000m at Sandown-Hillside on Wednesday.

It was an open secret that the two-year-old posed ability and went off the second favourite.

Ridden by Dean Holland, Cecil Street Lad raced in midfield before finding his stride inside the 200m to overpower the Xtravagant filly Seydoux by three-quarters of a length with the favoured Vancouver gelding Mynumerouno the same distance back in third.

“He’s a horse that has plenty of upside. We paid a bit of money for him, but it’s worth it, and he has got plenty to give,” Laming said.

“He’s bred to be a sprinter, so we’ll keep him to the short distances, but the way he relaxed there and finished it off, 1200m won’t be an issue.”

Bred by Olly Tait, Cecil Street Lad was a $55,000 purchase from the Glastonbury Farms draft at the 2020 Magic Millions Adelaide Yearling Sale. Re-offered by JC Thoroughbreds at the 2020 NZB Ready to Run Sale, the son of Bobby’s Kitten was knocked down to Richard Laming Racing / John White Bloodstock for $320,000.

He is the first winner from two to race out of the talented racemare Just A Girl. The daughter of Not A Single Doubt won seven of her 23 starts while banking $278,655.

Twin Hills Stud purchased Just a Girl for $50,000 from the Amarina Farm draft at the 2017 National Broodmare Sale.

The Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint winner Bobby’s Kitten left just 31 live foals from his lone season at Twin Hills in 2017.

The son of Kitten’s Joy stands at Lanwades Stud for a fee of £8,000. He has one of the best two-year-old fillies in Europe this year in the undefeated Sandrine, the winner of the Group II Newmarket Duchess of Cambridge Stakes and Group III Royal Ascot Albany Stakes.