Sam Clipperton's rise through the Sydney jockey ranks continued at Rosehill on Saturday when Vashka gave him the second leg of a race-to-race stakes double.
After steering Peeping to an upset win in the Golden Pendant for old boss Ron Quinton, Clipperton claimed the Group Two Shannon Stakes on Vashka for another of his biggest supporters, international powerhouse Godolphin.
In a tough effort, Vashka raced at the girth of leader Foreign Prince before forging to the front and holding off the Hawkes Racing pair of God's In Him by a short neck with Messene another neck away.
"I would have rather led on him but I would have had to do too much work to get there," Clipperton said.
"He was there to be beaten at the furlong.
"He was very impressive, it's good to see him back in form."
Clipperton will miss next Saturday's Epsom Handicap meeting due to a careless riding suspension but rather than dwell on what might have been, his focus is on races further into the spring.
"It's a bit of a shame I'm out because I've got such good momentum at the moment," he said.
"But I will be back for Spring Champion Stakes day and hopefully I can get an opportunity in Melbourne later on."
Vashka isn't in the Epsom Handicap and Godolphin's Darren Beadman says the horse is likely to head to Melbourne with the Toorak Handicap among his options.