Stephen Marsh trained first starter Exuberant made a winning debut with a gritty victory in the Listed Hanley Formula Wellesley Stakes (1000m).

Sporting the familiar colours of syndication specialist, Go Racing, the Savabeel colt was a $160,000 purchase by Albert Bosma from the Book 1 draft of Waikato Stud at the National Yearling Sale earlier in the year.

A stylish win at the Ruakaka trials earlier in the month had the showy youngster regarded as a leading chance in the two-year-old feature and he didn’t disappoint when he prevailed in a thrilling finish with fellow Cambridge raider Last Sight.

“To do that at your first start, to come to a Listed race and take it out shows he is a pretty classy animal,” Marsh stable representative Todd Pollard said.

“They are fantastic, Albert and the team, they do a great job and we’ve had quite a few nice ones for them so it’s great to have them in the stable.

“He’s a gorgeous horse, not overly big but he looks like he could be quite a classy customer.”

Exuberant is the second foal of ill-fated O’Reilly mare Merrily and hails from a family that includes the brilliant Black Caviar in his extended pedigree.