Dubai: Astern continued his impressive upward curve when recording a gutsy victory in the Group 2 A$175,000, Run To The Rose at Rosehill, Australia on Saturday giving Godolphin its second successive win in the race.

Ridden by James McDonald, the three-year-old son of Medaglia d’Oro flaunted his special qualities when holding off Star Turn, the mount of Tommy Berry, by a long head.

Impending, Godolphin handler John O’Shea’s second runner, finished third in the highly-regarded 1,200 metre contest.

O’Shea won the Run To The Rose 12 months ago with Godolphin’s Exosphere who went on the win the Group 1 A$1 million Golden Rose.

“Apart from that blemish in the Golden Slipper where he didn’t have a good preparation in the lead up to it and a wide barrier, he has a wonderful record,” O’Shea said on the Godolphin website.

“His preparation has gone beautifully. At this level you just can’t afford to have anything go wrong, you’ve got to draw well and you’ve got to have those lovely James McDonald rides. It’s just a reflection on what a great team effort this is.”

O’Shea has the option of running Astern in the Golden Rose on September 10 at Rosehill or the Group 2 Danehill Stakes at Flemington at 1200m on the same day.

McDonald, who has just returned to Australia following a successful stint in England as a replacement for Godolphin jockey William Buick, was full of praise for Astern.

“You only have to watch it to see how good he is. He’s the king of the castle, he’s the real deal,” said McDonald, who won the Grou 2 Lennox Stakes and the Group 2 Princess of Wales’s Stakes during his posting in English.

“He’s a different animal compared to his two-year-old season and that’s the only reason I went that way. I thought he was the real deal as a two-year-old, I think he is even more of the real deal now.”

“He’s such a good horse, 1400m should be no issue for him, I hope so anyway.”

O’Shea went home with a pair of trophies following Chetwood’s victory in the Tab Rewrads Handicap.

Another Godolphin runner, Magic Hurricane, finished a close third in the Listed Premier’s Cup also at Rosehill.