Cover image courtesy of Bronwen Healy
G1 Ladbrokes W.S Cox Plate, $5,000,000, 2040m
Cheers in Ireland and down at Rosemont Stud as Starspangledbanner's son State Of Rest (Ire) withstood a lengthy protest to add the G1 W.S Cox Plate to his international resume.
One of his globe-trotting multiple Group 1-winning sire's 21 stakes winners and his third Group 1 winner, State Of Rest is a half-brother to the promising Tranquil Lady (Ire) (Australia {GB}) who was stakes-placed at her third start in Ireland just a couple of weeks ago.
His dam is the unraced Repose (USA) (Quiet American {USA}) whose dam is the Listed winner Monaassabaat (USA) (Zilzaal {USA}), also dam of the stakes winners Prince Alzain (USA) (Street Sense {USA}) and Echo River (USA) (Irish River {Fr}).
State Of Rest's third dam is the US Champion 3-Year-Old Filly It's In The Air (USA) (Mr Prospector {USA}) who has had local influence as the third dam of the G1 Coolmore Classic winner Alverta (Flying Spur).
He is the fourth member of the Danehill (USA) sireline to win the W.S Cox Plate with the others being Makybe Diva (GB) (Desert King {Ire}), Dane Ripper (Danehill {USA}) and Shamus Award (Snitzel).
State Of Rest has just the one duplication (6 X 5 Northern Dancer{Can}) within six generations of his pedigree but his dam is bred on a close 3 X 3 cross of Mr Prospector (USA) who hails from the same Frizeur (FR) (Sweeper {Fr}) family as Shecky Greene (USA) whose grandson Made Of Gold (USA) is Starspangledbanner's damsire.
Another seven of Starspangledbanner's stakes winners are out of mares carrying a Mr Prospector (USA) strain.
G2 McCafé Moonee Valley Gold Cup, $1,000,000, 2500m
Travelling well before the turn and just needing a bit of luck, Lunar Flare (Fiorente {Ire}) got the run though and was strong to the line.
Bred by Mojo Thoroughbreds, Lunar Flare is one of the eight stakes winners sired by Widden Victoria's G1 Melbourne Cup winner Fiorente (Ire) who is showing a real affinity for Encosta De Lago line mares.
Whilst his overall strike rate sits at 53.2 per cent, his winner ratio with mares carrying an Encosta De Lago strain is 72.2 per cent and another two of those (Hawkshot and Power Scheme) are stakes winners.
Fiorente hails from the same Simon's Shoes (GB) (Simon Square {GB}) family as Encosta De Lago's sire Fairy King (USA) noting that Lunar Flare's dam is bred on a 3 X 4 cross of Fairy King's dam Fairy Bridge (USA) (Bold Reason {USA}), also dam of Sadler's Wells (USA).
Lunar Flare is one of nine winners for the reliable broodmare My Fair Lago who has also produced the stakes-placed gallopers Sea Of Tranquility (Dash For Cash) and Eagle Command (Dash For Cash) whilst her winning daughter Lunar Lights (Bianconi {USA}) is dam of the Listed winner Honey's Steel Gold (Keep The Faith).
G2 Drummond Golf Vase, $300,000, 2040m
He had to dig deep but the short-priced favourite Forgot You (NZ) (Savabeel) did just that to do what his sire did, win a 2040-metre race at Moonee Valley in late October!
Bred by Garry Chittick, the second of Saturday's Savabeel stakes winners is out of the city-placed winner Simply You (NZ) (O'Reilly {NZ}) whose dam is the G1 Salinger S. and G1 Goodwood H. winner Glamour Puss (NZ) (Tale Of The Cat {USA}).
Also able to boast the Group 1 winners Vision And Power (NZ) (Carnegie {Ire}) and Steps In Time (Danehill Dancer {Ire}) amongst his relations, the 2020 Inglis Ready2Race graduate (purchased by Busuttin Racing for $330,000) is one of the 21 stakes winners sired by Savabeel out of mares by O'Reilly (NZ).
Served last spring by Super Seth, Simply You has not had much luck since producing Forgot You but is still young.
Forgot You was part of a good day for horses line-bred to the mighty mare Somethingroyal (USA) (Princequillo {Ire}) who appears via her prolific sons Sir Gaylord (USA) and Secretariat (USA).
G2 Point Motors Fillies' Classic, $300,000, 1600m
Mokulua (Redoute's Choice) had not been having the best of luck of late but made up for that by breaking her maiden in Group 2 company.
A homebred for John Singleton's Strawberry Hill Stud, the 179th stakes winner for the late Redoute's Choice, she is a full-sister to the city winner Ma And Pa out of the high-class race mare Dear Demi (Dehere {USA}).
Winner of the 2012 G1 VRC Oaks, she won a Group 2 1600-metre race for the girls at Moonee Valley - the 2014 Stocks S.
In early September foaling a filly by Pierro, Dear Demi last year produced a Frankel (GB) colt.
This is one of Australia's best stakes producing families, Dear Demi being a granddaughter of the G1 Golden Slipper S. and G1 AJC Sires' Produce S. winner Merlene (Danehill {USA}), whose dam is the triple-Group winner Bold Promise (Luskin Star). Also related are the Group 1 winners Capitalist (Written Tycoon) and Miss Pennymoney (Brocco {USA}).
Mokulua is bred on a 2 X 4 cross of Danehill (USA) whilst also carrying duplications of the excellent mares Natalma (USA) (Native Dancer {USA}) and Somethingroyal (USA) (Princequillo {Ire}).
G2 Schweppes Crystal Mile, $300,000, 1600m
Flashy and talented is Just Folk (Magnus), who held off his more fancied rivals with this gutsy performance, his first win in stakes company.
The 24th stakes winner for Widden Victoria's ever-reliable G1 The Galaxy winner Magnus, Just Folk was bred by the Dwyer family out of their unraced mare Fast Ruby (Desert Sun {GB}), a half-sister to the G1 Emirates S. winner Tears I Cry (Lacryma Cristi {Ire}).
A granddaughter of the G1 VRC Oaks winner Weekend Delight (NZ) (Racing Is Fun {USA}), Fast Ruby paid a return visit to Magnus last spring having also produced by him the city-placed five-times winner Highclass Harry.
The sire and dam of Just Folk are bred on the same Danzig (USA)/Sir Ivor (USA)/Tudor Melody (GB) cross.
G3 Tandem Building Group Red Anchor S., $200,000, 1200m
A promising colt who is yet to miss a placing in five starts, Generation (Snitzel) paved the way to a stud career with his first success at stakes level.
Bred by SF Bloodstock and sold to Ciaron Maher Racing/Dermot Farrington Bloodstock for $575,000 at the 2020 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, Generation is the 115th stakes winner for Arrowfield's Champion Sire Snitzel.
His dam is the G2 Blue Diamond Prelude and G3 Blue Diamond Preview winner Fontiton (Turffontein) who won the R. Listed Inglis Banner on this same race day in 2014.
Also dam of the Group 3-placed Pinkham (Written Tycoon), Fontiton is out of the Listed Northwood Plume S. winner Personal Ensign (Rubiton), whose grandam is the G2 SA Breeders' S. winner Golden Prayer (Amen Brother {USA}).
Sadly Fontiton died having produced just her two black-type performers who both sold well, Pinkham having fetched $200,000 at the 2019 Magic Millions.
Generation is the 15th Snitzel stakes winner line-bred to Storm Bird (Can).
G3 Powerflo Tesio S., $200,000, 1600m
Flying Mascot (NZ) (Tavistock {NZ}) further accentuated just what a loss her sire is by easily winning the final race on W.S Cox Plate Day, becoming Cambridge Stud's late stallion's 33rd stakes winner - and his 12th out of a mare by Zabeel (NZ).
A cross which provides for the duplication of the great mare Special (USA) (Forli {Arg}),
Bred by Finemore Thoroughbreds and purchased by Flying Start Syndications for $25,000 at the 2019 Magic Millions Gold Coast National Yearling Sale, Flying Mascot (NZ) is one of seven mares for the deceased mare Lucky Mascot (NZ) (Zabeel {NZ}).
A descendant of the influential Teppo (GB) (Ladas {GB}), she is also dam of the Listed Cinderella S. winner Koala Bear (Exceed And Excel) and the city winner Cruachan (Commands).
Lucky Mascot's dam is the four-times Group winner Arletty (NZ) (Centaine) whose daughters have been doing a great job at stud - she also being grandam of the dual Group 1 winner Xtravagant (NZ) (Pentire {GB}), the Group 3 galloper He's Remarkable (NZ) (Pentire {GB}) and the Listed winner Exclusive Lass (Nicconi).
Listed Food Services Crockett S., $175,000, 1200m
It was a close finish to this fillies contest with Dream Queen (NZ) (Super Easy {NZ}) the one with her nose out on the line, doing a great job at just her second Australian start - pulling up with a slow recovery rate, having finished out of the placings as an odds-on favourite at Mornington earlier in the month.
Bred by Hallmark Stud, home to her Singapore stakes-winning sire, Dream Queen (NZ) showed good talent in New Zealand and she is now Super Easy (NZ)'s seventh stakes winner. She is a full sister to the three-times winner Tumbleweed (NZ).
Her dam is Hampton's Gold (NZ) (Gold Mine {USA}), half-sister to the stakes-placed Orakei Korako (NZ) (Any Suggestion) from the family of NZ Champion Sprinter/Miler Gee I Jane (NZ) (Jahafil {GB}), the NZ Champion 3-Year-Old Katie Lee (NZ) (Pins) and the NZ Champion 2-Year-Old Banchee (NZ) (Oratorio {Ire}).
Served last spring by Telperion (Street Cry {Ire}), Hampton's Gold is also dam of a yearling colt by Derryn (Hinchinbrook).
R. Listed Inglis Banner, $400,000, 1000m
Black Caviar (Bel Esprit) genes were to the fore kicking off Cox Plate Day with her close relation Semillion (Shalaa {Ire}) impressive showing pace and heart at debut.
Described by jockey Jye McNeil as "the ultimate professional," the Hawkes family-trained colt, bred by Robert Crabtree, was purchased by International Thoroughbred Solutions for $300,000 at this year's Inglis Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale.
His dual G1 Prix Morny and G1 Middle Park S.-winning sire Shalaa (Ire) has made an encouraging start to his stud career in both hemispheres, Arrowfield Stud's son of Invincible Spirit (Ire) siring the G1 winner No Speak Alexander (Ire) in Ireland, the Listed winner King Shalaa (Fr) in France and locally, the R. Listed Magic Millions 2YO Classic winner Shaquero, who has been twice successful at Group 3 level.
Semillion is the third foal produced by the Moonee Valley winner Sistonic (Bel Esprit), also dam of the city winner Seatonic (Sebring). She is a full sister to the Moonee Valley Listed winner Iconic (Bel Esprit), out of a daughter of Black Caviar's dual Group-winning grandam Scandinavia (Snippets).
Bred on a 4 X 4 X 4 cross of Danzig (USA), Semillion can also boast amongst his relations the Group 1 gallopers All Too Hard (Casino Prince), Ole Kirk (Written Tycoon) and Magnus (Snippets), as well as this season's G3 Quezette S. winner Gimme Par (Not A Single Doubt).
