Cover image courtesy of Western Racepix
The Boss Lady rules WA
With exciting 3-year-old West Star (Playing God) sent out as favourite for the delayed G3 Belmont Sprint, run at Pinjarra on Wednesday after the track at Belmont on Saturday was deemed unsafe, the Simon Miller-trained gelding had to settle for third in a tight finish behind Michael Lane-trained 4-year-old mare The Boss Lady (Street Boss {USA}) and Stephen Miller’s veteran 6-year-old gelding Magnificent Andy (Magnus). The win took her earnings to almost $1 million from 11 wins.
“The delay didn’t worry her too much, she’s obviously very well. She was ready on Saturday and to be honest, I’m happier we raced on this track than the other,” said Lane.
The Boss Lady winning the G3 Belmont Sprint | Image courtesy of Western Racepix
“She’s really stepped up this year, although she’s never had a bad season really, she’s just a good horse.”
Bred by Canal Enterprises and raced by them in partnership with R Gilchrist and K Matthews, The Boss Lady has been dominant in Western Australia this season winning five races, three of those at stakes class.
“She’s (The Boss Lady) really stepped up this year, although she’s never had a bad season really, she’s just a good horse.” - Michael Lane
She won three in succession over the summer including the Listed Jungle Dawn Classic, returning in April after a short let up to win the G3 Roma Cup. From there, she ran in The Quokka, picking up a tidy amount of prizemoney for sixth place, before being a touch disappointing last start when fifth behind West Star in the G3 Northam Stakes.
Top Of The Class | Image courtesy of Western Racepix
“I trained her mother, and she was a nice big mare. The Boss Lady’s the same, very much like her mother in a lot of ways and has furnished into a lovely mare.” Top Of The Class (Star Witness) won twice and placed in both the Listed Jungle Dawn Classic and Listed Jungle Mist Classic.
“Top Of The Class has got a Universal Ruler and is back in foal to him again. We are going to go back to Melbourne this spring and try and get into Street Boss. If the mare matched with Playing God, I’d be there in a shot, but she’s a very big mare and I think you’d end up with an elephant on that mating. The Long Leaf from her is a massive horse.”
On sending horses to the eastern seaboard, Lane said they do it on occasion. “We have got some quality mares who we want to give every chance. The stallion ranks aren’t as strong (here) and sometimes there is a bit of value over there compared to here too. We sent Top Of The Class to Magnus then Street Boss, then she stayed home for a while. The Magnus was a gutsy little horse.”
Connections of The Boss Lady after winning the G3 Belmont Sprint | Image courtesy of Western Racepix
Magnum Class (Magnus), the first foal of Top Of The Class, won three races, and The Boss Lady is her second foal. Her 3-year-old gelding Longway To The Top (Long Leaf) ran fifth on debut recently.
Top Of The Class is a half-sister to Listed-placed Dash For Viz (Dash For Cash) and it’s the family of triple Group 1 winner Drawn (Star Shower).
Shamus Award relative is progressive type
Living up to his favourite’s tag, 2-year-old colt Damien (Hellbent) made it two from four with a strong win at Doomben on Wednesday. Trained by Kris Lees and ridden by Andrew Mallyon, he was wide most of the way, but pulled away from Annabel and Rob Archibald-trained filly Royal Chic (Graff) to win by a length in a tough performance. Michael Nolan-trained gelding Worthy Enuff (Worthy Cause) was third, half-a-length off the second placed horse.
“It was a good win, wasn’t it! Now that he’s in Queensland, he’ll stay in our base up there at the gold coast, and winning well like he did today, I’d say that Kris will try and step him up in grade in the next two or three weeks. He didn’t get any favours in run today. Andrew didn’t panic, just got him into a nice rhythm,” said stable representative Danny Greer.
“It was a good win, wasn’t it! Now that he’s (Damien) in Queensland, he’ll stay in our base up there at the gold coast, and winning well like he did today.” - Danny Greer
“We’ve always had a good opinion of him. He won nicely at Newcastle, then we threw him in deep end at Hawkesbury on a Saturday. He had genuine excuses, the track was so deep, I’ve never seen conditions like that and he was caught wide with no luck.
“We added blinkers for today as he was wayward in his earlier racing. He’ll develop into a nice type. He’s a typical late season 2-year-old who is up and going and in good form, and we are excited to see where he gets to.”
“He’s (Damien) a typical late season 2-year-old who is up and going and in good form, and we are excited to see where he gets to.” - Danny Greer
First seen in public at the trials before Christmas where he had two trials, he debuted in January, running second at Wyong. From there, he had a short break before winning his maiden at Newcastle on April 12, then was ninth at Hawkesbury in a race won by Aerodrome (Ole Kirk) who runs in Saturday’s G2 BRC Sires’ Produce Stakes.
His fourth start today and second win took his earnings over $79,000.
“He was coming up at the same time at Rivellino. And we thought there wasn’t a lot between them, except that Rivellino was more of a 2-year-old type and Damien more a 3-year-old, and at this stage, it’s working out like that.”
Rivellino winning the G2 Skyline Stakes | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
Stablemate Rivellino (Too Darn Hot {GB}) won his first three in succession including the R.Listed Inglis Millennium and the G2 Skyline Stakes before being fourth in the G1 Golden Slipper and fifth in the G1 Sires’ Produce Stakes.
“He’s got nice bloodlines. We have a couple of Hellbent horses coming through and he looks to be one of the more progressive ones.”
“He’s (Damien) got nice bloodlines. We have a couple of Hellbent horses coming through and he looks to be one of the more progressive ones.” - Danny Greer
Damien was a $200,000 purchase by Bahen Bloodstock and Kris Lees Racing from Attunga Stud’s 2024 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale draft. He is a half-brother to Listed winner Insurrection (Russian Revolution) and his dam Marple Miss (Not A Single Doubt) missed in both the two seasons following Damien.
Marple Miss won four races, two in Sydney, and is a half-sister to Group 1 winner and successful sire Shamus Award.
“All credit to Bob Hannon the breeder. He’s been a good client of the farm, and we present most of his yearlings. He’s a prolific breeder who pound for pound stacks up there with the best,” said Attunga Stud’s Brian Nutt.
Damien as a yearling | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
“He bred Shamus Award, Cosmic Force, and that good horse in Queensland at the moment Torque To Be Sure. Bob is a very, very good breeder.
“Damien was a very athletic horse. He was probably more precocious than most of the Hellbent stock, and was purchased by Kris Lees who has had great association with Bob over the years.”
Double for Jace McMurray at Canterbury
Apprentice jockey Jace McMurray is one month into a three month loan to Sydney trainer Michael Freedman, and rode his first city double for him on Wednesday at Canterbury on a pair of nicely bred 3-year-olds for Freedman.
“He’s only just come down on loan to me, and if he’s happy, I think he might stay permanently. The second winner was his 100th win, I’m pretty sure, which is a good achievement for a young bloke,” said Freedman.
The first win came on 3-year-old gelding Inside Man (Lonhro) who took his record to two wins from five starts, with his first win coming at the same track back in November of this season’s spring for trainer Chris Waller.
“Blueblood Thoroughbreds bought him online and sent him to me. He’s one of those Chris Waller colts who didn’t measure up. I gelded him and he’s come back in good order. His first up run for me was good, and he got the job done today. Clearly the wet tracks don’t bother him.
“He’s a ‘go through the grades’ type of horse, so we’ll go to another benchmark race with him next.”
Inside Man was purchased by Chris Waller Racing for $400,000 at the 2023 Inglis Easter Yearling Sale from Coolmore Stud’s draft, and they were the vendor again when he sold to Blueblood Thoroughbreds for $80,000 at the 2025 Inglis January Digital Sale.
Inside Man as a yearling | Image courtesy of Inglis
He is a full brother to Listed winner Taraayef and a half-brother to Listed winner Haybah (More Than Ready {USA}), and their dam Sultah (Exceed And Excel) has an unraced 2-year-old filly named Think About Her (So You Think {NZ}) and a yearling colt by So You Think (NZ) who was purchased by Dynamic Syndications for $85,000 from Coolmore’s Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale draft this year.
Sultah, who won three of her five starts, was bought by Michael Flanagan as a broodmare for $400,000 in 2021 at the Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale as part of the Shadwell Stud dispersal. She is a half-sister to Group 1 winner Rebel Raider (Reset), Group 3 winner Shamoline Warrior (Shamardal {USA}) and Listed winner Cadillac Mountain (Reset).
McMurray and Freedman combined one race later to make it a city double with 3-year-old filly Just Feelin’ Lucky (Justify {USA}) who took her record to three wins and two seconds from seven starts.
“I’ve got a bit of time for her. She’s putting together a solid record now and did a good job today,” said Freedman.
“She had to work a bit to cross and lead, but travelled sweetly and showed nice turn of foot on heavy ground. I might sneak up to Brisbane for a fillies race over a mile if she pulls up well. She’s a 3-year-old with nice pedigree, and it might worth giving her a shot at something better.”
Sold by Ashleigh Thoroughbreds at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale for $80,000 to James Bester Bloodstock, Just Feelin’ Lucky had two starts at two, winning her maiden as a spring 3-year-old. She’s won two of her three starts this autumn.
Just Feelin' Lucky as a yearling | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
Just Feelin’ Lucky is the second foal and second winner for Phylicia (Pierro) whose first foal is 4-year-old Physicist (So You Think {NZ}) who was a winner this time last year in Sydney and now races in Queensland. Phylicia has a yearling colt by Acrobat and a weanling colt by Justify (USA).
Phylicia is a half-sister to Group 1 winner Cosmic Endeavour (Northern Meteor) and this is the family of Hong Kong Horse Of The Year Fairy King Prawn (Danehill {USA}).
