Cover image courtesy of Ashlea Brennan
Rosehill: G2 Hot Danish S., $500,000, 1400m
Back in winning form third-up after a somewhat unlucky second-up run, Roots (Press Statement) won her second Group 2 race on the back of her Emancipation S. success in March.
Bred by Greg Perry, Brian Singer, Encompass International, Werrett Bloodstock and Echo Beach Bloodstock, she was sold by Vinery to Yugengaisha Murakami Kinya Bokujo for $52,000 at the 2020 Inglis Classic Yearling Sale.
Her dam Arctic Success (Big Brown {USA}) has had four to race and all are winners including the city winners Arctic Thunder (Headwater) and Star Mistress (Star Turn).
Foaling an Exceedance colt in early September (her previous foal - in 2021 - also a son of that stallion), Arctic Success is a daughter of the stakes-placed, eight-time winner Patou (Covetous), also dam of the G1 Golden Slipper S. winner Polar Success (Success Express {USA}) whose daughter Lillemor (Hallowed Crown) won the Listed Gai Waterhouse Classic.
This is the prolific Group 1 family of Circles of Gold (Marscay), Highland Reel (Ire), Starspangledbanner, Haradasun and Elvstroem.
Ascot: G2 Lee Steere S., $300,000, 1400m
A stalwart for local trainer Simon Miller, the 8-year-old Valour Road (Frost Giant {USA}) won his ninth career stakes race on Saturday in the Lee Steere S. Originally a $60,000 2017 Magic Millions Perth Yearling Sale purchase for Aquanita Racing, the son of Frost Giant (USA) won the R. Listed Magic Millions WA 2YO Classic on his first start back in 2018, and has been kept almost exclusively to stakes company since.
Bred by Yarradale Stud, Valour Road is one of 19 stakes winners for Frost Giant, a son of Giant’s Causeway (USA) who shuttled to Yarradale just twice.
A half-brother to three-time winner Sioux City (War Chant {USA}), Valour Road is out of Melba Avenue (Street Sense {USA}), a winner herself and a half-sister to dual Group 3 scorer Raspberries (Lonhro) who has produced the Group 3-placed Malahat (Exceed And Excel).
Valour Road’s third dam is triple Listed winner Ice Cream Sundae (Sovereign Red {NZ}), the dam of Group 1-winning sprinter Flavour (Rubiton) and grandam of G1 Queensland Derby winner Sonntag (Teofilo {Ire}).
Valour Road is line-bred not only to Secretariat (USA), but also to the influential mares Natalma (USA) (Native Dancer {USA}), Almahmoud (USA) (Mahmoud {Fr}) and Glamour (USA) (Nasrullah {Ire}).
Most recently, Melba Avenue has a yearling colt by I Am Invincible - bred between Yarradale and Yarraman Park Stud - and a filly foal by Pinatubo (Ire).
Listed Luckygray S., $125,000, 1800m
Daniel Morton’s Another Chino (Maschino) gained his third stakes win in the first of three black-type races at Ascot on Saturday, the Listed Luckygray S. (1800 metres). A 4-year-old gelding, Another Chino has had just 11 lifetime starts and has now won five races.
He seemed to come of age earlier this year, winning back-to-back stakes races at the same track in March before finishing runner-up in the G2 WATC Derby.
Bred and part-owned by the Anderson family, Another Chino never saw a sale, and is out of the winning Galileo (Ire) mare Apheta, a $110,000 purchase by Michael Flannery Bloodstock (as agent) at the 2006 Magic Millions Perth Spring Thoroughbred Sale.
Another Chino is the final and most successful foal from Apheta who, despite passing away at the age of 16 in 2020, produced just four other foals, two of them winners in Western Australia.
Apheta is a half-sister to both Gibraltar Storm, dam of G3 Chatham S. winner Reykjavik (Artie Schiller {USA}), and the stakes-placed Storm Burst (Danehill Dancer {USA}).
Maschino, a son of Encosta De Lago, stands at Alwyn Park in WA for $9900 (inc GST) this year and is the sire of six stakes winners, his most successful progeny being Group 2 winner Marocchino.
Listed Fairetha S., $125,000, 1400m
Group 3-placed as a juvenile, Investmentstrategy became stakes winner number 14 for his sire Playing God on Saturday, taking the Listed Fairetha S. Performing for the first time amongst his Classic-age contemporaries, the 3-year-old colt was making his sixth lifetime start.
Bred by De Grey Park and stabled locally with Neville Parnham, he was a $120,000 for the trainer at the 2022 Magic Millions Perth Yearling Sale. Although only placed herself, his dam, World Class (Manhattan Rain), has a rich pedigree.
Investmentstrategy’s second dam, Advance To Go (Red Ransom {USA}) is a sister to Listed winner Point Made and a half-sister to both G1 Queensland Oaks winner Miss Danehill (Danehill {USA}) and the Group 2 scorer and multiple Group 1 runner-up Pentastic (Pentire {GB}).
Fourth dam, Clifton Gardens (Mighty Kingdom) places Investmentstrategy amongst one of Australia’s great families, being out of Denise’s Joy (Seventh Hussar), making her a half-sister to Joie Denise (Danehill {USA}), the dam of Tuesday Joy (Carnegie {Ire}) and Sunday Joy (Sunday Silence {Jpn}).
A half-brother to winning Toronado (Ire) gelding Classado, Investmentstrategy is followed by the as-yet-unraced juvenile filly Diamond Dancer (Long Leaf) - in training with Simon Miller - a yearling colt by I'm All The Talk and a colt foal by Awesome Rock.
Their dam, World Class, was purchased by John Chalmers Bloodstock Services at the 2018 Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale for $30,000.
Doomben: Listed Keith Noud Quality H., $160,000, 1200m
Extremist (Extreme Choice) is building a nice record, the debutant stakes winner having won six of her 20 starts.
Bred by Eureka Stud, she was sold by them to Robert Heathcote and Steve Morley for just $35,000 at the 2020 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.
She is the 11th stakes winner for her high-achieving, Newgate-based sire whilst her dam is the multiple city winner Rubinacci (Johannesburg {USA}) who sadly died in early 2021.
Also dam of the city winner Super Suave (High Chaparral {Ire}), Rubinacci is a half-sister to the Group 2-placed Maxisun (Choisir) out of the stakes-placed city winner Venere (Marscay).
Extremist’s fourth dam is the G1 VRC Oaks and G1 1000 Guineas heroine Rom’s Stiletto (Sharp Edge {Ire}) and this branch of her family has also produced the stakes winners Spirited One (Verglas {Ire}) and Dr Sweet (King Cugat {USA}).
