Cover image courtesy of Georgia Young Photography
Lancelot Du Lac flys the flag for Miss Debutante
Go Bloodstock Australia’s wonderful broodmare Miss Debutante (Fastnet Rock) has done it again. Her fourth foal to race became her fourth winner when 3-year-old colt Lancelot Du Lac (Flying Artie) won on debut at Kensington Randwick on Friday.
He’s got a lot to live up to as the first three foals from Miss Debutante are all group winners. And it hasn’t all been a simple ride as he’s had to overcome illness before making his debut as a late spring 3-year-old.
“He’s super well bred. Miss Debutante is a very exciting mare and we sent her to Flying Artie on the back of Artorius who we also raced,” Go Bloodstock’s racing manager Steve O’Connor told TTR. Artorius won the G1 Blue Diamond Stakes at two, and the G1 Canterbury Stakes at four, as well as placing in the G1 July Cup in England and running fourth in the G1 Royal Ascot Jubilee Stakes. His oldest foals are yearlings.
“He needed a little bit more time to mature than his older sisters, but he always had potential. He got a little bit sick at the end of his 2-year-old year, so timing wise, we’ll continue to take our time with him.
“We’ll take him through the grades. We always thought he’d be a good sprinter /miler and were surprised that he was the favourite today as we thought he might need a run or two to get to his peak. That he’s won is very exciting and hopefully he’ll get to stakes class and be the fourth stakes horse for his dam.
Lancelot Du Lac winning at Kensington | Image courtesy of Georgia Young Photography
“He’ll run again this summer, we’ve been patient and it’s a good time to build some confidence and earn some money over the summer. If he’s good enough, there are plenty of stakes races to target at the end of January.”
As a homebred, he’s not eligible for the Magic Millions races in the Queensland summer carnival but there are other group races during the carnival that could work for Lancelot Du Lac.
“It’s very exciting for Sir Owen to have another nice homebred colt. He’s the type of horse we want to be breeding and racing, a colt with pedigree upside. He’s a nice type of Flying Artie, he has a good physical, a great temperament, and the mare is doing a super job.
“He’s (Lancelot Du Lac) the type of horse we want to be breeding and racing, a colt with pedigree upside.” - Steve O'Connor
“Her 2-year-old filly Lone Piper looks to have plenty of ability and will likely trial next week, and (Miss Debutante) has a Zoustar filly foal who is excellent and is in foal to Extreme Choice.”
Steve O'Connor | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
Miss Debutante, herself an excellent race mare winning four times including the Listed Denise’s Joy Stakes, produced four-time Group 3 winner Queen Of The Ball (I Am Invincible) with her first foal. Queen Of The Ball had an Extreme Choice colt this spring that we covered in a Foal Focus.
The next foal was the brilliant Platinum Jubilee (Zoustar) who won the G3 Gimcrack Stakes as an early juvenile and was sold to Coolmore at the 2024 Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale for $3.5 million. She’s produced an I Am Invincible filly this spring as her first foal.
And then came the super star filly Lady Of Camelot (Written Tycoon) who won the G1 Golden Slipper and was placed in the G1 Blue Diamond. At three, she placed in the G1 AJ Moir Stakes, G1 Surround Stakes, G1 Coolmore Stud Stakes, and G1 Coolmore Classic. She’s currently spelling to heal a few niggling issues, and will be set for Royal Ascot.
It’s a hard act to follow for Lancelot Du Lac, but he’s begun in the perfect manner with a city win on debut.
Miss Debutante | Image courtesy of Sportpix
Miss Debutante has 2-year-old filly Lone Piper (I Am Invincible) and a filly foal by Zoustar to come. It’s a deep family with Miss Debutante being a daughter of G2 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Fillies winner More Than Real (USA) (More Than Ready {USA}) who in turn is the daughter of stakes winner Miss Seffens (USA) (Dehere {USA}).
Expensive La Basilique wins nicely
Race two at Kensington on Friday was the battle of the brilliantly bred fillies with the trifecta playing out as a strong battle between the three 3-year-old fillies who each have strong commercial residual value. In the end, it was Yulong’s $1 million 3-year-old filly La Basilique (I Am Invincible) coming out the victor for trainer Chris Waller and jockey Tim Clark.
La Basilique was sold by Widden Stud at the 2024 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale for a cool $1 million to Highway Farm. She is the fourth foal and third winner for Listed Alinghi Stakes winner Vezalay (Shamardal {USA}). Vezalay is a daughter of Group 3-placed Tactfully (Flying Spur), who is also the second dam of South African top class sprinter, Listed winner of 12 races, Sir Frenchie (Choisir). Tactfully is a full sister to Listed winner Roulettes, dam of Zoustar’s young G3 BJ McLachlan Stakes winning sire Sun City.
Champere (Written Tycoon) fought on hard for second place, only one-third of a length in arears, for the Hawkes Racing Team. She was a $450,000 purchase by her trainers from Gilgai Farm’s Inglis Easter Yearling Sale draft, and is out of Group 3-placed Snipzu (Snippetson). This makes Champere a half-sister to young sire and Group 1-placed Don Corleone.
La Basilique winning at Kensington | Image courtesy of Georgia Young Photography
In third, and a nice effort on debut was Erin Jo (NZ) (I Am Invincible) who was a $750,000 Inglis Easter purchase by John Singleton from Elsdon Park. She is out of Group 1 winner Lucia Valentina (NZ) (Savabeel).
Inglis Digital purchase gets immediate update
On Wednesday, Nocab Racing spent $220,000 on Inglis Digital to acquire stakes placed Celestial Bling (Capitalist). “At this stage we’re looking at Extreme Choice or Farnan for her first cover but we’ve got plenty of time up our sleeve to make that decision,” Nocab’s Steve Bacon told Inglis at the time.
They only had to wait till Friday to get a quick pedigree update with Celestial Bling’s 3-year-old half-sister Virgil’s Gift (Street Boss {USA}) winning at Kensington Randwick to take her record to two wins from three starts.
Virgil's Gift winning at Kensington | Image courtesy of Georgia Young Photography
Trained by Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott for Cunningham Thoroughbreds and partners, Virgil’s Gift was purchased by the group for $300,000 from Newgate Farm’s Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale draft.
Virgil’s Gift is the third foal from Exceed And Excel mare Starry who was a winner at Newcastle as a 3-year-old.
Starry’s yearling colt by Anamoe will be offered by Widden Stud as Lot 858 at the 2026 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale. This is the family of G2 VRC Sires’ Produce Stakes winner and sire Zululand.
