Angland, 19, and Black Piranha had finished second in three consecutive Group 1s, but they put that disappointment behind them with an assured performance in the biggest race of the Brisbane Winter Carnival for rising young trainer Con Karakatsanis.

Those near misses included the George Ryder Stakes and Doncas- ter Hcp in Sydney and the Doom- ben 10,000 in Brisbane a fortnight ago, but none of that mattered as Black Piranha, sent out a $4 fav- ourite by the bookies, won by just under a length from Danleigh ($12), with Ortensia ($7.50) third.

"In running I was pretty confident and I was able to get a drag into the race from Marasco coming to the home turn," Angland said.

"Once he hit the front and I had a look around I thought he was pretty safe, he half star-gazed, but once he was there he kept going.

"The horse had been going real good and it wasn't as strong a field ? it got a bit tight, he got a few bumps, everyone was riding competitive but I was able to follow Marasco and I got the opening when he went in.

"When he hit the front he star-gazed a bit, but he kept going.

"Running three seconds in a row in Group 1 races on the same horse gets frustrating, so to finally get the monkey off my back was a relief."

One would forgive Angland for turning all his attention to the bright lights of metro racing now he's cracked the big time, but the young champion, who learned his trade under Hawkesbury trainer Garry Frazer, was straight back into the grind two days later, riding at Randwick, Gosford, Canter- bury and Hawkesbury's ill-fated meeting last week, and he will ride at Orange this Friday.

There just may be an even bigger story in line for Angland and Black Piranha, with Karakatsanis indicating he would spell the horse now and launch an assault on the WS Cox Plate at Moonee Valley in October, and form would suggest Angland to be a near certainty to remain aboard.