For Cody Morgan, it is a figure that looms large as an indicator of thoroughbred excellence.
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In notching back-to-back wins in Brisbane with a dominant display in a $75,000 open handicap over 1815m at Eagle Farm on Saturday, Ligulate - a five-year-old gelding trained at Tamworth by Morgan - took his career prize money to almost $500,000.
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Morgan, a former jockey who obtained his trainer's licence in 2008, has not had a horse that has won more.
He said that in his "time" the only Tamworth horses to win more than $500,000 were The Jackal ($1 million) and Border Rebel ($623,000).
At least one other horse, the Melanie O'Gorman-trained Suncraze, is in that exclusive club - having won almost $580,000.
"To get up into that category would be great," he said, adding that "the good thing" was Ligulate's age: "I really feel like he's just hitting his straps."
Morgan believed he erred in not elevating the horse to longer distances sooner. He finished 12th over 1200m in The Kosciuszko last year.
Since then, he has two wins at Doomben over 1630m and 1600m and then Saturday's triumph over 1815m.
Ligulate - who has eight wins from 30 starts - had "gone to another level", Morgan said, adding that 1600m to 1800m is an ideal range for him, "because he's got such a good turn of foot and he relaxes".
Having jumped from barrier four with Andrew Mallyon aboard on Saturday, Ligulate, the favourite, mowed down the Chris Waller-trained Matowi - beating the five-year-old gelding by more than two lengths.
Gold Coast-based Matowi has six wins and more than $500,000 in prize money and was coming off a strong showing in Sydney. Morgan said Ligulate went past him "like he was standing still".
"It was an effortless win, but the second horse [Matowi] is no slouch," he said, adding: "I can't say I've had one win in the city where they haven't even pulled the whip."
Ligulate, who paid $2 for the win (NSW TAB tote), will contest a 1600m listed race on the Sunshine Coast this month and then a 1800m listed race on the Gold Coast, before returning to Tamworth for "a decent spell".
