Midas Prince defeated Diplomac Jack and Lynch Mob in a 2000-metre race. With no Melbourne metropolitan meeting on Saturday, the Pakenham Cup Day carried city status.

Purcell told The Standard the victory was a reward for the consistency Midas Prince had shown at his previous starts for the stable.

"Midas Prince is a tough horse," the group one-winning trainer said. "He deserves the win. He's been so consistent. I'm confident there's still more improvement in him. It was a top ride by Brett Peeble.

"He summed up the situation perfectly and dictated the race from about the 400 metre mark. There's a nice race for Midas Prince over 2000 metres at Caulfield on Boxing Day. It looks ideal for him.

"We'll just give him an easy time in the lead up to that race. He's been a great money spinner for his connections since we started training him.

"From his 12 starts for us Midas Prince has won four races and got a couple of minor placings."

The lightly raced five-year-old took his stake earnings to more then $154,000 with the victory.

Meanwhile, Gailo Chop, trained by Matthew Williams, ran second in the $1 million group one Kingston Town Classic at a Ascot on Saturday.

Gailo Chop, ridden by John Allen, was run down by Kay Cee over the concluding stages of the 1800 metre race. The nine-year-old picked up $200,000 in stakemoney for his connections with the second placing.

Have you signed up to The Standard's daily newsletter and breaking news emails? You can register below and make sure you are up to date with everything that's happening in the south-west.