Cover image courtesy of Michael McInally
Eagle Farm: G1 Tattersall's Tiara, $700,000, 1400m
Bred by her trainer Robert Heathcote, who also bred and trained her dam (and training that mare's dam as well), Startantes (Star Turn) had her fan club cheering with this barnstorming, well-deserved Group 1 victory.
One of the smallest big-race winners of recent times - her trainer noting that she'd be lucky to make 15 hands - Startantes makes up for her lack of stature with plenty of heart and a terrific will to win; this success the sixth of her 19-start career.
Already Group 1-placed on two occasions, Startantes had not however won a black-type race, though her form - including a close-up fifth in the G1 Stradbroke H. two weeks ago - at stakes level has always been good.
The fifth stakes winner and first Group 1 winner for her Vinery Stud-based dual Group-winning sire Star Turn, an imposing son of Star Witness, Startantes is one of the three winners (from as many named foals) for the G2 Champagne Classic winner Funtantes (Easy Rocking).
Also a two-time Listed winner, Funtantes - who paid a return visit to Star Turn last spring - is also dam of the multiple city winner Ziemba (Rothesay) and the promising 2-year-old Ekaterina (Russian Revolution) who won her maiden at the Sunshine Coast in May.
Funtantes also has a Rothesay weanling filly and a Spirit Of Boom yearling colt. Her dam, the city-winning Cantantes (Just Awesome) did a great job with all 11 of her named foals making it to the track with 10 of those being winners including the five-time Listed winner Excellantes (Falvelon), who was incidentally also trained by Heathcote.
A descendant of the wonderful South Australian mare (who has a feature fillies race named in her honour) Auraria (Trenton {NZ}), Startantes has an interesting pedigree with crosses of the successful stallions Last Tycoon (Ire) and Godswalk (USA) supported by duplications of the terrific mares Special (USA) (Forli {Arg}) and Lady Kells (Ire) (His Highness {GB}).
G3 Tattersall's Cup, $200,000, 2400m
Shooting up along the rails, London Banker (NZ) (Tavistock {NZ}) proved a class above his rivals, when he recorded his ninth win from 28 starts and his first at stakes level.
Bred by Mrs CJ, KP & PH Brown, RM Fitzroy & IG Hickey and purchased by RA James for NZ$100,000 from the draft of Kilgravin Lodge at the 2017 New Zealand Premier Yearling Sale, London Banker is the 37th stakes winner for his much missed sire Tavistock (NZ).
He is one of the three winners (from as many named foals) for the winner Palos De Lago (NZ) (Encosta De Lago) with her others both being Asian winners - Sun Of Makfi (NZ) (Makfi {GB}) in Hong Kong and Cracking Tottie (So You Think {NZ}) in Singapore.
Served last spring by Proisir having foaled a colt by that same stallion in September, Palos De Lago is out of the dual Group 3 winner Palos Verdes (NZ) (Oak Ridge {Fr}) whose six winners include the four time Group 1 winner El Segundo (NZ) (Pins), winner of the G1 Cox Plate, the G1 Caulfield S., the G1 Underwood S. and the G1 CF Orr S.
London Banker boasts crosses of three influential mares within seven generations - Fairy Bridge (USA) (Bold Reason {USA}), Lalun (USA) (Djeddah {Fr}) and Noorani (GB) (Nearco {Ity}).
G3 W.J. Healy S., $175,000, 1200m
Having been previously consistent in stakes company, it was a deserved breakthrough at black-type level for Juan Diva (Snitzel) and she looked to have a bit in hand too.
Bred by Fairway Thoroughbreds and passed in for $700,000 from the Segenhoe Stud draft at the 2018 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale, Juan Diva is the 123rd stakes winner for her high-achieving Arrowfield Stud-based sire Snitzel.
She is the first foal for the Listed Gai Waterhouse Classic winner Peron (Husson {Arg}) whose second foal Colonel (Snitzel) is a two-time winner. And her third is the yet-to-race Peter Moody trained 2-year-old The Way We Were (Deep Impact {Jpn}) who has been in the placings in a couple of Pakenham jump-outs.
Not currently in foal, with her most recent produce being a 2021 born full sister to Juan Diva and a yearling Justify (USA) filly, Peron is one of the seven winners (from as many foals to race) for the stakes-placed Faster Pussycat (Flying Spur).
Two of that mare's winners are stakes winners - Gai's Choice (General Nediym) (in turn dam of the Listed Reginald Allen H. winner I Like It Easy {Pierro}) and Atmospherical (Northern Meteor).
This is a family that has been producing top-liners for generations with its other members including the big-race winners Eagle Falls (Hussonet {USA}), Subzero (Kala Dancer {GB}) and Marscay (Biscay).
Listed Tattersall's Gold Crown, $200,000, 2150m
Rebel Rama (Dissident) pulled just too many punches making the pace and holding off a late challenge from the short-priced favourite Our Intrigue (NZ) (Showcasing {GB}).
Double-figure odds with a rise in class, Rebel Rama recorded the fourth start of her 22-start career. Bred by Lyndcote Pty Ltd, she was purchased by her trainer Marc Conners for $40,000 from the Corumbene Stud draft at the 2019 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.
The fifth stakes winner for her sire Dissident, Riverdene Stud's Australian Horse of the Year, she is the first winner for the unraced Mossarama (Mossman) whose three-quarter sister is the high-class race and broodmare Staging (Success Express {USA}).
That six-time Group winner did a great job at stud with her six winners including the G1 BTC Cup winner Duporth, the G1 AJC Sires' Produce S. winner Excites as well as dual Group 2 winner Tickets.
A descendant of the legendary mare Teppo (GB) (Ladas {GB}), Rebel Rama boasts an interesting pedigree with the dam of his sire bred on a Better Boy (Ire)/Nijinsky (Can) cross whilst his dam is bred on the reverse.
Listed Tattersall's Life Members S., $130,000, 1400m
What a valuable mare Tyresa (Written Tycoon) is, this Listed victory sure to give her plenty of worth as a broodmare prospect - the 49th stakes winner for Australia's reigning Champion Sire being a three-quarter sister to the G1 Golden Slipper S. hero Capitalist (Written Tycoon).
Looking a bargain purchase for Kelly Schweida who secured her for $90,000 from the Newgate Farm draft at the 2021 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, the Nick Vass-bred mare is the second foal for her unraced dam Stresa (Real Saga).
Not having a great deal of luck at stud in recent times, missing during the last two seasons, Stresa has a yearling full sister to Tyresa; already named Queen Of The Mile, the member of the Gary Portelli stable was purchased by Darby Racing for $180,000 at this year's Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.
Stresa's dam Kitalpha (NZ) (Fusaichi Pegasus {USA}) sadly died young having produced only four foals. Her dam is the G3 Blue Diamond Preview winner Compulsion (Danehill {USA}), dam of the Listed Caloundra Cup winner Brayroan (NZ) (Zabeel {NZ}) and grandam of the stakes winners Sacred Magnate (Foxwedge) and Red Excitement (Excites).
Compulsion's dam is the wonderful mare Bold Promise (Luskin Star) - three-time Group-winning dam of the dual Group 1-winning fillies Merlene (Danehill {USA}) and Miss Pennymoney (Brocco {USA}). Both of those mares have left stakes winners with the former doing a particularly good job producing the dual Group winner Merlene De Lago (Encosta De Lago) whilst one of her unraced daughters is the dam of the G1 VRC Oaks heroine Dear Demi (Dehere {USA}).
Belmont: G3 Strickland S., $200,000, 2000m
It took a photo to determine the result of an exciting finish to Perth's Saturday feature with a gutsy Prince Turbo (Vital Equine {Ire}) having his nose out where it counted - doing a good job recording his third win in a row.
Double-figure odds and rising in class, Prince Turbo made it nine wins from 25 starts - doing a great job having been off the scene for quite some time before this current preparation; racing in mid-August 2020 and not reappearing until ANZAC Day this year.
A homebred for the Cowcher family, Prince Turbo - who ran a nice race in the 2020 G2 Perth Cup - is the seventh stakes winner for his G2 Champagne S.-winning sire who was not returned to the stud book last year.
His dam is the Narrogin 1700-metre maiden winner Queen Of The Rings (Fimiston) who has, also by Vital Equine (Ire), produced the multiple city winner Shady Gray.
A daughter of the stakes-placed Chanti Dilune (Chanteclair), Queen Of The Rings produced a full brother to Prince Turbo last spring whilst her previous foal is a Jimmy Choux (NZ) filly - and her previous another Vital Equine gelding.
Chanti Dilune's dam Miss Jev (Jevington) is a full sister to the G3 Easter S. winner Gale Force and the Listed Australia Day S. winner Winterlude.
Randwick: Listed Civic S., $150,000, 1400m
It was a strong all-the-way victory for the well-supported Taksu (Equiano {Fr}) who has always promised to win at stakes level.
Bred by Troy Mobbs, Tony McGrath and John Voitin with the first two remaining in the ownership after he was passed in for $75,000 at the 2017 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, Taksu is the 19th stakes winner for his sire, a former Swettenham Stud shuttler whose only other Australian-bred stakes winner is the G3 Blue Diamond Preview winner Lady Horseowner.
Taksu is the third stakes winner for his dam Raining (Hurricane Sky), a Doomben winning half-sister to the stakes-placed Deutzia (NZ) (Chem {USA}) who produced the Listed winner Portofino Bay (NZ) (McGinty {NZ}).
Dying two years ago with her final foal being the unraced Written Tycoon mare Sprinkle, Raining is also dam of the G1 Stradbroke H. and G1 Tattersall's Tiara winner Srikandi (Dubawi {Ire}) and the South African Group 3 winner Rain Gal (Galileo {Ire}).
Taksu boasts crosses of three successful broodmares within seven generations - Best In Show (USA) (Traffic Judge {USA}), Madonna (GB) (Donatello II {Fr}) and Somethingroyal (USA) (Princequillo {Ire}).
Tauranga: Listed Tauranga Classic, NZ$60,000, 1400m
Swinging wide into the straight, Sanibel (NZ) (Shamexpress {NZ}) recorded a soft victory at big odds.
Bred by The Sunlight Trust and purchased by Phill Cataldo Bloodstock/Shane Brown for NZ$45,000 from the draft of JK Farm at Book 2 of the 2018 New Zealand Bloodstock Yearling Sale, she is the eighth stakes winner for her Windsor Park Stud-based G1 Newmarket H.-winning sire Shamexpress (NZ).
She is one of the three winners produced by the unraced Margaux Belle (NZ) (Kaapstad {NZ}), the other two - Firebird Flyer (Stravinsky {USA}) and Typhoon (NZ) (Volksraad {GB}) both successful at metropolitan level.
Margaux Belle is a half-sister to the G1 International S. winner Veloce Bella (NZ) (Volksraad {GB}) from the family of this year's G2 Adelaide Cup winner Daqiansweet Junior (NZ) (Sweet Orange {USA}).
Sanibel carries a five-by-three cross of Sir Tristram (Ire) as well as duplications of the outstanding mares Somethingroyal (USA) (Princequillo {Ire}) and Rosy Legend (Fr) (Dark Legend {GB}).
