Cover image courtesy of Western Racepix
Ascot: G1 Winterbottom S., $1,500,000, 1200m
Sydney galloper Overpass (Vancouver) confirmed his liking of Ascot Racecourse, adding this Group 1 feature to his CV alongside his win in the rich The Quokka in April.
The first Group 1 winner (and one of his 10 stakes winners) for his Woodside Park-based, G1 Golden Slipper S.-winning sire, he was Bred by Corumbene Stud.
Making his way through the sales ring on two occasions, Overpass was passed in for $140,000 at the Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale in 2020, and then sold to Darby Racing and William Johnson Bloodstock (FBAA) for $75,000 at Round 2 of that COVID changed sale.
He is one of five winners (from as many to race) for the two-time winner Walkway (Exceed And Excel) who hails from the family of one of the best horses Western Australia has produced - the mighty Northerly (Serheed {USA}).
In mid-September foaling a full sister to Overpass after missing to Shalaa (Ire) the previous season, Walkway has a yet-to-be named 2-year-old colt by Capitalist whilst Gerald Ryan and Sterling Alexiou-trained 3-year-old Inca Trail (Menari) who won a Goulburn maiden in October.
Bred on a 3 X 3 cross of Danehill (USA), Overpass boasts multiple strains of the prolific Frizette (USA) (Hamburg {USA}) family. He was one of two Saturday stakes winners out of Exceed And Excel mares who have now produced 14 Group 1 winners.
Listed Sir Ernest Lee-Steere Classic, $125,000, 1400m
Enjoying the return to 1400 metres, the trip at which he won the Listed Fairetha S. two starts back, Investmentstrategy (Playing God) was tough to the line recording the fourth win of his eight-start career.
One of the 16 stakes winners for his in-form Darling View Thoroughbreds-based sire, he was bred by De Grey Park and sold by Misty Valley Thoroughbreds for $120,000 to the Parnham Racing Stables at the 2022 Magic Millions Perth Yearling Sale.
His dam is the placed World Class (Manhattan Rain), a half-sister to the stakes-placed Jericho (Smart Missile).
Foaling an Awesome Rock colt in mid-September - and a colt by I'm All The Talk last year - World Class has a 2-year-old called Diamond Dancer (Long Leaf) in the Simon Miller stable - yet to race but second and fourth in Belmont trials.
World Class is a granddaughter of the Listed Mona Nursery winner Miss Minden (Bellotto {USA}) whose four winners include the G1 Queensland Oaks winner Miss Danehill (Danehill {USA}), the dual Group 2 winner Pentastic (Pentire {GB}) and the Listed winner Point Made (Red Ransom {USA}).
Miss Minden is a granddaughter of the wonderful matriarch Denise's Joy and Investmentstrategy is bred on a 5 X 6 cross of that multiple Group 1 winner's sire Seventh Hussar (Fr).
Listed Jungle Dawn Classic, $125,000, 1400m
Providing her sire with a stakes-race running double, Baby Paris (Playing God) was too tough on pace - so game recording the seventh win of her 14-start career.
One of the 16 stakes winners for her sire, she is a homebred for GJ Bowen. She is the only foal produced by the city-placed, four-time winner War In Paris (War Chant {USA}) whose Listed Ngawyni S.-winning dam Paris Moon (Metal Storm {Fr}) produced another four winners including the stakes-placed Centrum (Danetime {Ire}).
Also dam of the city winners Moonlight Drive (Helenus) and Deep Cover (War Chant {USA}), Paris Moon is a half-sister to the G2 Western Australian Guineas winner Dr John (Dr Johnson {USA}).
A descendant of the famed matriarch Chelandry (GB) (Goldfinch {GB}), Baby Paris is by a sire out of a mare bred on the same Danzig (USA)/Todman cross.
Rosehill: G3 Festival S., $250,000, 1500m
Doing a good job up in class off consistent form, Phearson (Exosphere) just kept digging in front - winning a Group 3 race at his very first attempt at black-type level.
Bred by Fernrigg Farm and Tim Scales, he was sold by Fernrigg to Sunninghill Park Stud for $65,000 at the 2019 Inglis Classic Yearling Sale.
The ninth stakes winner for his Oaklands Stud-based, G1 Golden Rose S.-winning sire, Phearson is the first stakes winner and one of the three winners for the dual city winner Chateau D'Yquem (NZ) (Pins).
The grandam of the promising juvenile Cerons (Street Boss {USA}) who was second in the Listed Maribyrnong Trial S. at his debut in October, Chateau D'Yquem is now in New Zealand - served last spring by Staphanos (Jpn) having produced a Darci Brahma (NZ) filly in September 2022.
Chateau D'Yquem is one of the 11 winners produced by the winner Miss Distinction (NZ) (Bletchencore), also dam of the dual Group 1 winner Gee I Jane (NZ) (Jahafil {GB}) and the Group 3 galloper Miss Jessie Jay (NZ) (Spectacularphantom {USA}) and grandam of the Group 1 winners Katie Lee (NZ) (Pins) and Banchee (NZ) (Oratorio {Ire}).
Phearson has a very Australian pedigree with four strains of Star Kingdom (Ire) - two each of Kaoru Star and Biscay.
Listed Christmas Cup, $200,000, 2400m
Sustaining a strong run for the rear, Stockman (NZ) (Tavistock {NZ}) was in the winner's circle for the first time since his success in last year's ATC St Leger.
Already a Group 3 and dual Listed winner, the tough stayer was bred by Sir Patrick and Lady Hogan and purchased by Proven Thoroughbreds with John Thompson Racing for NZ$175,000 from Book 1 of the 2018 New Zealand Bloodstock Karaka Yearling Sale.
One of his late sire's 46 stakes winners, Stockman is the final foal and one of the three stakes winners for the dual Group winner Crimson (NZ) (Zabeel {NZ}) - also dam of the dual Group 2 winner Abidewithme (NZ) (Redoute's Choice), the Listed-winning, G1 VRC Oaks runner-up Miss Scarlatti (NZ) (Stravinsky {USA}) and the stakes-placed A Fairy's Kiss (NZ) (Stravinsky {USA}).
Miss Scarlatti is the grandam of this year's G3 Barnswood Farm S. winner Star Of Justice (Justify {USA}) whilst A Fairy's Kiss produced Destiny's Kiss (Power Of Destiny) whose 10 stakes wins include this same race seven years ago.
Crimson is one of the four stakes winners for the city winner Bourbon Lassie (NZ) (Mellay {GB}) - also dam of the G1 VRC Derby winner Omnicorp (NZ) (Grosvenor {NZ}), the dual Group 2 winner Pharostan (NZ) (Imposing) and the Listed Rosehill Cup winner Bourbon Boy (NZ) (Reindeer {Ire}).
Stockman is bred on a 5 X 5 cross of the wonderful mare Special (USA) (Forli {Arg}) via her grandson Sadler's Wells (USA) and son Nureyev (USA).
Listed Starlight S., $200,000, 1100m
It was a deserved second stakes success for a horse who just does not know how to run a bad race - Dragonstone (Mikki Isle {Jpn}) a five-time winner who from his 28 starts has also been in the placings on 16 occasions.
Bred by Forest Lodge Super Fund Pty Ltd and passed in for $65,000 at the 2020 Inglis Classic Yearling Sale, he is one of the five stakes winners for his dual Group 1-winning sire, a former Arrowfield Stud shuttler.
He is the second live foal for the metropolitan winner Quick's The Word (Shamardal {USA}) who has also produced the metropolitan winner Stormborn (Headwater).
Foaling a Captivant filly in late August, Quick's The Word had the previous season off with her 2021 colt being a son of Cosmic Force.
Quick's The Word's multiple city-winning dam Lady Of Snows (Bluebird USA}) did a great job at stud with 10 of her 11 foals to race being winners, three of those in town. Her dam is the G2 Maribyrnong Plate winner Catchfire (Century), daughter of the Listed winner Kilmarie (Bletchingly).
A descendant of the influential mare Simon's Shoes (GB) (Simon Square {GB}), Dragonstone carries a cross of the classy broodmare River Lady (USA) (Prince John {USA}) via her great grandson Rock Of Gibraltar (Ire) and her son Riverman (USA). Also of note in his pedigree is Mikki Isle's (Jpn) second damsire Nureyev (USA) who hails from Dragonstone's family.
Te Rapa: G3 Eagle Technology S., NZ$100,000, 1600m
Kicking clear from the 150 metres, El Vencedor (NZ) (Shocking) broke his black-type duck having been in the placings at stakes level on four occasions.
The 22nd stakes winner for his Rich Hill-based, G1 Melbourne Cup-winning sire, he is the third stakes winner for the unraced Strictly Maternal (NZ) (O'Reilly {NZ}) - also dam of the G2 Brisbane Cup and G3 Counties Cup winner Chocante (NZ) (also by Shocking) and the Group 3 and Listed-winning Hong Kong galloper Sky Darci (NZ) (Darci Brahma {NZ}).
A homebred for M W Freeman and D G Price, El Vencedor is a great-grandson of the G3 Canterbury Gold Cup winner Red Chiffon (NZ) (Sovereign Red {NZ}) whose granddaughter Malevola (USA) (Tale Of The Cat {USA}) earned the title of Panama Champion 2-Year-Old Filly.
Strictly Maternal has been retired from stud duties with her most recent foal being a yet-to-be-named 2-year-old full sister to El Vencedor.
Listed Trevor Eagle Memorial S., NZ$80,000, 1500m
He may not have the size of his rivals, but Just As Sharp (NZ) (Swiss Ace) was able to put in bigger strides than them as he got clear late winning this, his third race - and his first at stakes level.
Bred by part-owner Gerry Harvey whose Westbury Stud took him to the 2022 New Zealand Bloodstock Karaka Yearling Sale where Rogerson Bloodstock secured him for NZ$145,000, Just As Sharp is the 17th stakes winner for his Westbury-based, G1 Oakleigh Plate-winning sire.
She is the first stakes winner, and one of four winners, for the Listed Keith Mackay H. winner Readyor (More Than Ready {USA}), half-sister to the Listed Eskimo Prince S. winner Agister (Mossman).
Just As Sharp is a great-granddaughter of the wonderful mare Triscay (Marscay), the multiple Group 1-winning dam of the G1 The Galaxy winner La Baraka (Euclase) and ancestress of fellow big-race winners Alizee (Sepoy) and Astern.
The 12th stakes-winning descendant of Triscay, Just As Sharp hails from a family which has been in the news this week - his seventh dam Abracadabra (GB) (Abernant {GB}) also being the seventh dam of the Japanese star Equinox (Jpn) (Kitasan Black {Jpn}).
Readyor was served last spring by Tarzino (NZ) having had the previous season off. Her yet-to-race 2-year-old Tarzador (NZ) is by that same stallion.
