Victorian galloper Niconero became just the fourth horse to win the Kingston Town Classic twice with a barnstorming finish in the feature weight-for-age race at Ascot.
Niconero, prepared by David Hayes, was allowed to bowl along three deep for much of the trip as Brad Rawiller was happy to keep him out of trouble stalking the main bunch.
On the bend he eased out wider and quickly loomed up out wide. Gilded Venom and Sniper's Bullet, who had been sitting just off the lead moved up to share the lead with Mission Critical and Annenkov.
They couldn't hold off the finish of Niconero, though, who ran away from his rivals over the final stages for an easy win.
The seven-year-old now joins elite company in Old Comrade, Summer Beau and Family Of Man as a dual winner of the race, with only the latter having won the race two years apart in the late seventies.
The Kingston Town Classic has proven a turning point in the career of both Niconero and Brad Rawiller.
Niconero 
had been close-up in a host of top races in Victoria but had been unable to break through at Group 1 level until the 2006 Kingston Town Classic. Since then, he has added a second win in this race, the Group 1 Toorak Handicap and over a million more in prizemoney.
For Rawiller, who had earlier considered giving riding away, the win on Niconero two years has seen his career flourish, more recently racking up a string of Group 1 wins aboard the likes of Weekend Hussler.
Railway Stakes winner Golded Venom found the big weight turnaround beyond him in today's weight-for-age race but ran on well for second after sitting sixth throughout, while Sniper's Bullet, runner-up in the Railway, again had to settle for a minor placing.
Annenkov, fourth early before moving to second and eventually the lead in the straight, battled on well for fourth, just edging out Marasco, who was ridden much closer, and race leader Mission Critical on the fence.
