Cover image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
Moonee Valley: G1 William Reid S., $1,000,000, 1200m
That's five Group 1 wins for the wonderful mare who is Imperatriz (I Am Invincible) - and her first on Australian soil.
The most prolific stakes winner and Group 1 winner for her Yarraman Park-based, reigning Australian Champion Sire (whose stakes winner total sits at an impressive 91), she was bred by Raffles Dancers and purchased by David Ellis for $360,000 from the Bhima Thoroughbreds draft at the 2020 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.
Imperatriz is the second foal and first winner for Berimbau (Shamardal {USA}) who earned her black type with a G3 Moonee Valley Fillies Classic third to Lumosty (Fastnet Rock).
Paying a return visit to I Am Invincible last spring, Berimbau produced a Capitalist colt last August after sadly losing her previous foal, a Press Statement filly.
Berimbau is out of the winner Percussive (Encosta De Lago), half-sister to the G2 Todman Slipper Trial winner Royal Courtship (Royal Academy {USA}). She also has the $300,000 Magic Millions graduate Cabaca (Fastnet Rock), a 3-year-old Chris Waller-trained filly, showing promise - finishing fifth at Sandown when resuming a few weeks ago.
Percussive's six foals to race have all been winners including last season's Listed Spear Chief H. winner Vinco (also by I Am Invincible).
Boasting crosses of the wonderful mares Natalma (USA) (Native Dancer {USA}), Somethingroyal (USA) (Princequillo {Ire}) and Lalun (USA) (Djeddah {Fr}), Imperatriz hails from the same family as the stakes winners Poor Judge (Royal Academy {USA}) and Proud Player (Squill {USA}).
It was an all-female finish to the William Reid with Bella Nipotina (Pride Of Dubai) second and Roch 'N' Horse (NZ) (Per Incanto {USA}) third.
G2 Sunline S., $300,000, 1600m
Sirileo Miss' (Pride Of Dubai) stellar run of form continued with this, her most dominant victory to date.
Putting 5.5l on her rivals including fellow last-start stakes winner Revolutionary Miss (Russian Revolution), Sirileo Miss recorded her ninth win - her fifth in black-type company.
A $60,000 purchase for Wilde Racing from the 2019 Inglis Premier Yearling Sale, she was sold by her breeders Miranda Park (Gary O’Meara) who happily remain in the ownership.
She is one of the 18 stakes winners for her in-form dual Group 1-winning, Coolmore Stud-based sire.
And she is one of seven winners (from as many to race) for the excellent producer She's Sirius (Galileo {Ire}) who produced a King's Legacy filly last spring, subsequently served by Hanseatic.
Also dam of the stakes-placed Sophia's Choice (Fastnet Rock) and three metropolitan winners, She's Sirius previously lost a Merchant Navy colt with her previous foal being the lightly raced 3-year-old She's Divine (Divine Prophet).
The winner of two races over 1600 metres, She's Sirius is one of the six winners for the city winner Canicula (Rory's Jester) who also produced the Listed Ottowa S. winner Spectrolite (Stratum). Canicula's dam is the Listed Gosford Slipper winner Hit It Star (Hit It Benny), also dam of the Listed Reginald Allen winner Hitapotomoss (Twig Moss {Fr}).
G3 Alexandra S., $200,000, 1600m
Rounding off a good day for her Swettenham Stud-based sire, whose son Beltoro earlier in the day won the Listed Albury Gold Cup, Papillon Club (Toronado {Ire}) rounded up her rivals with the sort of ease that justified her short odds.
Bred by Tara Farm and purchased by trainer Greg Eurell for $70,000 at the 2021 Inglis Melbourne Gold Yearling Sale, Papillon Club is the 33rd stakes winner for Toronado (Ire).
Boasting a cross of the great mare Best In Show (USA) (Traffic Judge {USA}), Papillon Club is the fourth foal and third winner for the placed Butterfly Club (Redoute's Choice).
Served last spring by Wolf Cry having previously slipped to that same stallion, Butterfly Club is also dam of the city winners Pieridae (Hinchinbrook) and Great Keppell (Hinchinbrook).
Butterfly Cup is a half-sister to the Japanese stakes winner Admire Hakuto (Jpn) (Sakura Bakushin {Jpn}) from a family that has enjoyed great success in this part of the world with its best member being the Australian Horse of the Year Typhoon Tracy (Red Ransom {USA}).
Listed Valley Pearl S., $175,000, 1200m
Odds-on favourite on the back of a big Pakenham maiden win at just his second outing, Brave Mead (Brave Smash {Jpn}) went to the lead and was never in any danger of defeat - racing clear to a soft victory.
Bred by the AB Breeding Venture and racing in the same Australian Bloodstock colours as his sire, Brave Mead is the Aquis Farm-based Brave Smash's (Jpn) first stakes winner. Faring well with his debut crop, Brave Smash - winner of the G1 Futurity S. and the G1 Manikato S. - has been represented by another four winners amongst his first 14 runners.
Brave Mead is the 10th foal and one of seven winners for the metropolitan winner Mead (Galileo {Ire}) who has also produced the Listed Geelong Classic winner Solemn (Bernardini {USA}), the Group 3-placed Honeywine (Street Cry {Ire}) and the city winner Medovina (Exceed And Excel).
Served last spring by Tassort having previously missed to Hellbent, Mead has a Hellbent yearling filly.
Mead is one of the 10 winners (from 11 foals to race) for the dual city winner Vegahoney (Todvega) - also dam of the G1 Australasian Oaks winner La Volta (Laranto) and the two-time Listed winner Terevega (Laranto).
Vegahoney is also ancestress of the G1 Caulfield Guineas winner Mighty Boss (Not A Single Doubt), the dual Group winner Coastwatch (Fastnet Rock), the G2 Angus Armanasco S. winner Catch A Fire (Sebring) and the G2 VRC Sires' Produce S. winner Seaburge (Sebring).
Albury: Listed Albury Gold Cup, $200,000, 2000m
Dashing past his rivals at the 200-metre mark, Beltoro (Toronado {Ire}) relished the step up to 2000 metres - recording his second Listed win in a row on the back of his Listed CS Hayes Memorial victory in Adelaide a couple of weeks ago.
Bred by Three Bridges Thoroughbreds and Delbridge Racing, he is one of the 32 stakes winners for his Swettenham Stud-based sire.
He is one of three winners (from as many to race so far) for Believabeel (NZ) (Zabeel {NZ}) who raced just the once for Delbridge.
Served last spring by Nicconi after missing to Puissance De Lune (Ire) the previous season, Believabeel has a Needs Further yearling colt and a 2-year-old full brother to Beltoro... Torbelo in the Ciaron Maher and David Eustace stable.
A three-quarter sister to the four-time New Zealand winner Stella Bella (NZ) (Savabeel), Believabeel can count amongst her relations the big-race winners Xtravagant (NZ), Legs (NZ) (Pins), Tiptronic (NZ) (O'Reilly {NZ}), Guyno (NZ) (O'Reilly {NZ}) and Sixty Seconds (NZ) (Centaine).
Beltoro boasts duplications of the outstanding mares Somethingroyal (USA) (Princequillo {Ire}) and Special (USA) (Forli {Arg}).
