Cover image courtesy of Kenton Wright (Race Images)
Ellerslie: New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders S., NZ$400,000, 1600m
Belclare (NZ) (Per Incanto {USA}) won this race by a narrow margin last year, this time around she bolted in!
One of the 28 stakes winners and seven Group 1 winners (his second multiple Group 1 winner) for her Little Avondale Stud based sire, the DK Woodhouse home-bred is one of the four winners (from as many to race) produced by the winner Miss Rhythmic (NZ) (O’Reilly {NZ}) whose grandam is the G1 New Zealand 1000 Guineas winner Olga’s Pal (NZ) (Straight Strike {USA}).
Olga’s Pal produced nine winners from her 12 foals to race, her best being the G2 Tulloch S. winner Zareyev (NZ) (Zabeel {NZ}). She is also grandam of the G1 VRC Oaks heroine Kirramosa (NZ) (Alamosa {NZ}) and the G2 WA Guineas winner Cape North (NZ) (Cape Cross {Ire}).
Served last spring by Satono Aladdin (Jpn), Miss Rhythmic foaled a full sister to Belclare last August.
Ascot: G3 WA Oaks, $300,000, 2400m
She was odds-on and able to deliver, Own The Queen (Awesome Rock) was tough to the line recording her fifth win in a row from just six starts - and her third in stakes company.
Bred by Clive Atwell and sold by the Western Breeders Alliance to John Chalmers Bloodstock and Erkelens Racing for $57,500 at the 2022 Perth Magic Millions, she is one of the five stakes winners for her Gold Front Thoroughbreds based G1 Emirates S. winning sire, a son of Fastnet Rock.
Her dual city winning dam Queen Of Choice (Patronize) has had three named foals, all of whom are winners. Served last year by Playing God and Lightsaber, she foaled a Playing Gold colt in October having slipped to that same stallion the year before. Her 2-year-old is a son of I'm All The Talk and her yearling colt is by Playing God.
Queen Of Choice's city placed winning dam Coronations (Canny Lad) is a half-sister ot the dam of the G3 Skyline S. winner Uate (Ad Valorem {USA}) whist her grandam is a half-sister to the G3 CS Hayes S. winner Cannibal King (Clear Choice {USA}).
Oakbank: Listed Railway S., $140,000, 1100m
It is a good record built by Celcius Star (Zoustar) who was in the winner’s circle for the eighth time from 23 starts, winning for the first time at stakes level.
Twice passed in - firstly at the Inglis Easter Yearling Sale and than at the Magic Millions National Sale - the Tara Farm home-bred is the 52nd stakes winner for his Widden Stud based sire.
His lightly raced dam Celcius (Commands) is a three-quarter sister to the dual Group 2 winner Soul (Commands) and the Listed Tasmanian Derby winner Cossetot (Epaulette) and half-sister to the G1 Golden Slipper S. winner Kiamichi (Sidestep).
Served last spring by Hanseatic having not had a great deal of luck in recent years, Celsius hails from the same family as the Group 1 winners Sainty (Sky Chase {NZ}) Denman, Preserve (Canny Lad), Taj Rossi and Dark Eclipse (Baguette) as well as current stallions Tiger Of Malay and Safeguard.
