Cover image courtesy of Western Racepix
Race-day Recap
Trainer Dan Morton is making the G2 Karrakatta Plate his own with his third win in four years. This year went to the colt Afireofgidgeecoals under a ride from Lucy Fiore.
It was a second Kiwi stakes winner for Home Affairs as Miss Janet won the Listed Star Way Stakes for trainer Stephen Marsh and syndicator Go Racing. The first season sire now has four stakes winners.
The Speed Machine (Hanseatic) won the Mornington Sires for trainers Mick Price and Michael Kent-Jnr to take his unbeaten record to two.
Paul Shailer-trained gelding Silken Salute (NZ) (Hello Youmzain {Fr}) stayed unbeaten at his second start with a gritty win at Eagle Farm.
Karrakatta Plate goes to Morton again
Having won the G2 Karrakatta Plate in 2023 with Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale-bound Super Smink (Super One) and in 2024 with Bustling (Frosted {USA}), trainer Dan Morton has done it again in 2026 with 2-year-old colt Afireofgidgeecoals (Too Darn Hot {GB}).
Previously unbeaten pair of Beatty (Gingerbread Man) and Aurum Belle (Snitzel) filled the minor placings to take their respective records to three wins from four starts.
“He was just awesome. It's easy to say now but I was quietly confident that he was tracking in the right direction and when he drew a good marble I knew we were in with a chance,” Morton said.
“But I had a lot of respect for that field because there was a lot of depth there but he's a little ripper.” Afireofgidgeecoals was third to Beatty last start in the Listed Perth Stakes, and has two wins from four starts with earnings over $310,000.
He becomes stakes winner number 34 for his sire and was ridden by Lucy Fiore.
“No one is riding better than Lucy at the moment,” Morton said. “From day one we've had a big opinion of him, he's a beautiful horse and it's just fantastic to win this race.”
Afireofgidgeecoals winning the G2 Karrakatta Plate | Image courtesy of Western Racepix
Sales: Shane Stafford purchased him for $180,000 from Mungrup’s Magic Millions Perth Yearling Sale draft.
Pedigree: One of nine winners for Listed Natasha Stakes winner Caiguna (Dubai Destination {USA}) who has also produced Listed Sir Ernest Lee-Steere Classic-placed 3-year-old filly Ninetymilestraight (Flying Artie) as well as Golden Gift winner and G2 Percy Sykes Stakes-placed Serena Bay (Sebring).
Serena Bay is the dam of R.Listed Magic Millions Cup winner West Of Africa (Not A Single Doubt) and stakes placed pair of Boa Vista (Snitzel) and Summer Loving (Exceed And Excel).
Connections of Afireofgidgeecoals after winning the G2 Karrakatta Plate | Image courtesy of Western Racepix
Star Way Stakes adds another feather to Home Affairs’ cap
Third on debut, Stephen Marsh-trained 2-year-old filly Miss Janet (Home Affairs) was given a bold front running ride by jockey Michael McNab in the Listed Star Way Stakes. She put three lengths on the rest of the field down the straight but wobbled a little at the end to hold on for a 1.75 length victory. Her stablemate So Fear (NZ) (Ardrossan) was third, and splitting them was Donna Logan-trained filly Belle Rebelle (NZ) (Ribchester {Ire}).
Miss Janet becomes the fourth stakes winner for first season sire Home Affairs, who has also sired G1 Golden Slipper winner Guest House, dual Listed winner Gin Twist, and New Zealand based G2 Eclipse Stakes victor Kinnaird with his first crop of juveniles.
“Across the top she just had her ears pricked and she felt like she was doing that speed very comfortably. When I asked her to pick up just before we turned in, I didn’t think they would run her down off what she showed us the other day (when placing on debut),” said McNab.
The same trainer and syndicator, Go Racing, combination won this race last year with Little Black Dress (Snitzel), and Go Racing also purchased this year’s third placed filly So Fear.
“Both were purchased by Go Racing and they are two nice fillies with good pedigrees and they have now got black-type, one at the thick end of it and the other third,” Marsh said.
Miss Janet winning the Listed Star Way Stakes | Image courtesy of Kenton Wright (Race Images)
“It is really nice to get black-type with those sorts of horses.
“She (Miss Janet) was unlucky at Matamata (on debut), she got her head into the other partition, missed the jump and did a lot wrong. Michael (McNab) got off and said ‘I don’t care where she is going, I will be riding her’.
“She is very good and in her two starts she should really be unbeaten.
“She is very good and in her two starts she should really be unbeaten.” -
“She has done a good enough job, we don’t need to step her up to 1400m. We will probably put her aside and set her for some good 3-year-old races, but we think she is top-class and you could see the race was over a long way from home.”
Stephen Marsh | Image courtesy of Trish Dunell
Sales: Go Racing and Blandford Bloodstock bought her out of Newgate Farm’s 2025 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale draft for $170,000.
Pedigree: The fourth foal, and fourth winner, for unraced Janast (Redoute’s Choice), Miss Janet has a yearling half-brother by State Of Rest (Ire). Janast, sadly, died in August 2025 while carrying a pregnancy to Ozzmosis.
The cross with Home Affairs and Redoute’s Choice is proving valuable with three of his four stakes winners carrying it. Guest House is from a Stratum mare, while Gin Twist is from a Beneteau mare.
Janast is a half-sister to Listed Merson Cooper Stakes-placed Forbes (Capitalist) and both are out of Listed Adelaide Guineas winner, and Group 2-placed, Booklet (Tale Of The Cat {USA}). Third dam, Spyglass (NZ) (Sir Sian {NZ}), won the G1 Sires’ Produce Stakes at Ellerslie (now the Sistema Stakes) and trained on to add the G1 Auckland Cup as an older mare. She is the dam of the appropriately named Iron Horse (Zephyr Zip {NZ}) who won 11 races led by the G1 Epsom Handicap, and placed at Group 1 level on a further five occasions.
The Speed Machine stays unbeaten in Mornington Sires
Co-trainer Mick Price had plenty of praise for jockey Thomas Stockdale after juvenile gelding The Speed Machine (Hanseatic) stormed home to victory in the Mornington Sires to maintain his unbeaten record. The front running ride paid off with only Trent Busuttin and Natalie Young-trained filly Luna Vega (Lucky Vega {Ire}) able to chase hard, closing the gap to a third of a length at the line. The rest of the field were over 2.5 lengths back.
“He’s an underrated rider, Tommy, he rides with a fair amount of maturity now. He’s very focused, has just had a little baby, and he’s totally professional about what he does. We are marking him up a bit in the context of what riders we use. You say that he’s confident, he’s not intimidated out there,” Price said.
The gelding, who won on debut last start at Morphettville, had a bit of spunk about his attitude pre and post race.
“His father had a bit of feist about him, his father always had two strappers on him,” said Price, who pitched in to help strap The Speed Machine before the race.
Mike Price | Image courtesy of Price Kent Racing
“He’s a sprinter with a bit of stamina, he’s not just a fast horse. I think eventually he’ll get 1200 when he’s ready for it. At the moment, if the races (for him) unfold, he’s very sound, he’s got good condition on him and he’s certainly not going to the paddock.”
The victory took his record to two from two with earnings over $118,000. He’s the fifth juvenile winner this season for his second season sire Hanseatic, who was a Group 3 winner at two and placed in the G1 Blue Diamond Stakes.
Sales: The Speed Machine was sold by Cornerstone Stud at the Magic Millions Adelaide Yearling Sale for $16,000 to A Galea and J Tennyson. Tennyson Park took him to the Magic Millions Horses in Training Sale where he made $85,000 to the bid of Newlands Thoroughbreds.
The Speed Machine as a yearling | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
Pedigree: The Speed Machine is the only winner, from three to race, for three-time winner Everybody Dance (Roman Emperor {NZ}). She has a yearling filly and a weanling colt, both by Ghaiyyath (Ire).
Everybody Dance is a daughter of Listed Canonbury Stakes-placed Suite (Stravinsky {USA}), from the family of G1 Manawatu Sires’ Produce Stakes winner and young sire Move To Strike.
Two from two for Silken Salute
A strong pace was set in the first at Eagle Farm for 2-year-olds with debutant Zeddich (Glenfiddich) bolting clear by over five lengths in the early part of the running with the two favourites Ciaron Maher-trained The Thorncaster (Farnan) and Paul Shailer-trained gelding Silken Salute (NZ) (Hello Youmzain {Fr}) out the back. When the leader faded in the straight, the two favourites came wide around the field to battle it out with The Thorncaster looking the likely winner until Silken Salute finally nabbed him on the line.
Silken Salute now has two from two with earnings over $97,000.
Sales: Shailer Racing and Julian Blaxland Bloodstock (FBAA) paid $60,000 for Silken Salute at last year’s Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, where he was offered by Cambridge Stud.
Pedigree: Cambridge Stud also sold Silken Salute’s dam Savasilk (NZ) (Savabeel) as a yearling, and she won two races for Te Akau Racing before retiring to stud. She is out of Group 1-performed Silk Pins (NZ) (Pins), a half-sister to the dams of Group winners Miraval Rose (Grunt {NZ}), Gypsy Diamond (Not A Single Doubt), and Finance Tycoon.
Savasilk delivered an Almanzor (Fr) filly in 2025 before being served by Hello Youmzain again.
