Wednesday Racing: A wonderful Oaks for China Horse Club

Cover image courtesy of Western Racepix

Guineas winner takes out the Oaks in dominating fashion

Massive rainfall over the weekend in Perth resulted in the races being postponed until Wednesday. According to the Bureau of Meteorology, Perth’s CBD received 63mm of rain in the 24-hours leading into Saturday morning, while some suburbs south of the CBD had to up 100mm. It was the highest recorded rain fall in one 24-hour period in the past three years.

Dan Morton-trained Wonderfully Made (Playing God) was the benefactor of the delay, winning Wednesday’s G3 West Australian Oaks. She won the Listed WA One Thousand Guineas two starts ago, and took her record to four wins from eight starts with earnings over $380,000.

Jockey Lucy Fiore, who won both the stakes races on Wednesday’s card, sat quietly in behind the leaders, then burst clear in the straight to win easily by over four lengths cruising to the line. In second was Holly Taylor-trained Poppy’s Roses (Maschino) with third going to Simon Miller-trained Admire Astra (Admire Mars {Jpn}).

“Absolute gun ride by Lucy today,” said Morton.

“I was confident with the amount of work we were able to get into her, and she’s bred for it, tailored made for it. I’d like to (head to the Derby), and she’s obviously not chasing fitness now which is a luxury. I’d like to give a shout out to Michael Smith and the China Horse Club, they’ve let me do my job and it’s been amazing to get a horse of her quality in our yard.”

Sales: Sold by J Farms at the Magic Millions Perth Yearling Sale, Wonderfully Made was purchased by China Horse Club for $250,000.

Pedigree: Wonderfully Made is the second foal of Precious Cargo (Trade Fair {GB}) whose first foal is three-time winner Precious God (Playing God), but unfortunately her yearling colt by the same sire died. Twice a winner, Precious Cargo is a full sister to Listed winner of seven races and over $560,000 Cool Trade.

Wonderfully Made is one of 26 stakes winners for Playing God.

New stakes winner for Brutal in Melvista Stakes

Trainers Grant and Alana Williams have stepped their 3-year-old gelding Sentimental Legend (Brutal {NZ}) up through the grades this season. He had just the one run in the spring, winning that, and this time in, he placed first up, then won, before a last start second in the Listed JC Roberts Stakes.

Wednesday’s rescheduled Listed Melvista Stakes over 2200 metres resulted in a 1.26 length victory under the guidance of jockey Lucy Fiore. Coming fast from last was Sean and Jake Casey-trained Aberdeen Flyer (Astern), who won the JC Roberts the start before, to claim second. The front runner, and the winner’s stablemate Wynn Las Vegas (Yes Yes Yes), clung on for third.

“He’s not a horse I’ve had a lot to do with. I trialled him once and hopped off to say that he was hard work and Pike had been making it look easy,” said Fiore who also won this race last year on Sail Session (Sessions).

“As he’s got further out in trip, and (William) Pike has shown me how to ride him, he’s a good horse now.” He will head to the WA Derby in ten days time.

Now the winner of three of his five starts, Sentimental Legend has earnings over $145,000. He becomes Brutal’s fourth stakes winner.

Sales: Bred by his trainers and raced by Mrs J Howkins.

Pedigree: Sentimental Legend is the last foal and second stakes winner for winning mare Sentimental Star (More Than Ready {USA}). She previously produced triple Listed winner Sentimental Hero (Al Maher) who won nine times and placed in the G1 WA Railway Stakes with earnings over $800,000. She also produced Sentimental Hero’s stakes placed full brother Sentimental Friend and their stakes placed half-sister Sentimental Flame (Kermadec {NZ}).

This is a very WA family with Sentimental Star’s half-sister Star Encounter (Jeune {GB}) winning eight times including the Listed Pinjarra Cup and placing in the G1 WA Derby. Star Encounter is the dam of three stakes winners including dual G2 Perth Cup winner Star Exhibit (Statue Of Liberty {}), G2 WA Guineas winner Perfect Jewel (Redoute’s Choice) and Listed winner Royal Star (Redoute’s Choice).

Star Encounter’s full sister five-time winner Galaxy Queen is the dam of G1 Railway Stakes winner Galaxy Star (Redoute’s Choice) who won 13 races and over $1.5 million.

Strong form around Seraphox

Punters were paying attention to Seraphox’s middling debut in the G2 Todman Stakes where he finished just over four lengths off the winner Paradoxium (Extreme Choice). There’s plenty of strong form around that run, and so punters sent the Ciaron Maher-trained 2-year-old son of Harry Angel (Ire) out at $1.90.

At the 200 metre mark, everyone had to hold their nerve as the James McDonald-ridden colt got caught in traffic, but once free, he exploded clear to justify his price. Second placed Chris Waller-trained The Roaring Sun (The Autumn Sun) chased hard to finish a third of a length behind, while it was over two lengths back to Annabel and Rob Archibald-trained Rolling Home (Bivouac) in third.

“He's a lovely horse and they’ve kind of had a bit of an opinion of him from the beginning,” said stable representative Amy Burke.

“His run in the Todman was far from disgraced. He got caught wide and had a tough run throughout and still had the audacity to stick on as well as he did. Back in grade today, back to maiden company did the job nicely – he had to take a couple of little reroutes home, but yeah, got the job done.

“As I said, he was far from disgraced, and he has really come on from that run as well, just even in his whole demeanour. You could see him there in the yard beforehand. He was completely on his toes the whole way around but never broke a sweat. He is the ultimate professional, and I think a very nice horse going forward.”

Sales: Seraphox went through the auction ring on three occasions, beginning as a weanling when Glen Lee Thoroughbreds sold him at the Magic Millions National Weanling Sale for $65,000 to Middlebrook Valley Lodge. They pinhooked him into the Inglis Classic Yearling Sale where Hong Kong Bloodstock put up their hand at $90,000. He was then consigned by Baystone Farm at the Inglis Ready2Race Sale where Ciaron Maher Racing and Starblue Consultancy paid $220,000 for him.

Pedigree: Harry Angel (Ire) is the sire of three Group 1 winners, Tom Kitten, Private Harry, and War Machine (NZ). Seraphox is the first foal of placed mare Foxy Lady (Foxwedge), a half-sister to stakes placed winner of five races Call It A Day (Domesday). This is the Zeditave family which includes this season’s G2 Skyline Stakes victor Campione D’Italia (Snitzel) who comes off a fourth in the G1 Golden Slipper and runs in Saturday’s G1 Sires’ Produce Stakes. Former good juvenile Espionage, who has recently been announced for Lovatsville for 2026 also features in this family.

Lindsay Park unwraps another strong filly with Mistifyzou

Having her second start for the Hayes brothers, Mistifyzou (Zousain) scooted along the rail in the maiden event for 2-year-old fillies for jockey Luke Currie and clung on in a tight battle for the victory at Geelong on Wednesday. She had been mid-field on debut two weeks ago in a race won by Buggsy (Harry Angel {Ire}).

On Wednesday she accounted for Shane Jackson-trained Fox Phire (Foxwedge) by a third of a length with another length back to Nick Ryan-trained Autumn Charm (The Autumn Sun) in third. The favourite, Anthony and Sam Freedman-trained debutant Velocite Belle (Home Affairs) ran fourth.

Sales: Lindsay Park Racing and Dean Hawthorne Bloodstock paid $100,000 for Mistifyzou from Stonehouse Thoroughbreds’ Inglis Premier Yearling Sale draft.

Pedigree: Mistifyzou is the first foal of unraced Fastnet Rock mare Never Tearus Apart, who is a daughter of Lovetorn (Giant’s Causeway {USA}) who raced in South Africa, winning six races including a Listed race. She had one foal in South Africa before returning home to Australia to the broodmare paddock, where Never Tearus Apart was born.

Lovetorn is a full sister to G3 Newcastle Spring Stakes victrix Lovemelikearock, and further back this is the American family of sire and G1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner Arazi (USA).