Afireofgidgeecoals made amends for a nightmare debut with a victory that impressed trainer Dan Morton in Wednesday’s MC Polytrack Maiden (1000m) at Belmont.
In a race dominated by the on-pace division, the Too Darn Hot (GB) colt tracked the speed set by Divine Mirage (Playing God) and Mr Kaplan (Capitalist) before going clear to claim the first-leg of a hat-trick for Lucy Fiore.
Morton backed up his belief in Afireofgidgeecoals when naming the LR Perth Stakes (1100m) as his next assignment at Ascot this Saturday. “His first-up loss was down to trainer error,” Morton confessed. “It was an egg-on-face result but he had a lovely run today and I have a lot of time for this colt. He’s on the right path now and I’m bullish since we changed blinkers for a cross-over nose-band.”
Stewards reported Afireofgidgeecoals had raced wide throughout on debut and had to be corrected when laying inwards passing the 200m. A post-race vet exam revealed there was nothing amiss but he was slow to recover.
The Gray Williamson-bred colt is a son of Darley’s successful shuttler Too Darn Hot (Dubawi) and the dam-line represents a long-standing WA family that decamped to the Hunter Valley for a decade before returning home in 2022. Williamson sold him under the Mungrup banner for $180,000 at the 2025 Perth Magic Millions to Shane Stafford who also races LR Sir Ernest Lee-Steere Classic (1400m) winner Cashel Palace (Street Boss).
Afireofgidgeecoals is the 10th individual winner out of Caiguna (Dubai Destination) who was bred and raced by Ascot couple John and Karen McGrath to win a LR Natasha Stakes (2200m) in 2012. Second-dam Bremer Bay (Scenic) was a successful sprinter-miler with Fred Kersley and third-dam All Washed Up (Marooned) won the LR WA St Leger (2600m) in 1996.
The McGraths sold Caiguna to NSW in 2012 where she foaled winners by Sebring (4), I Am Invincible and Sepoy for Edinburgh Park owner Ian Smith. The best of the Sebrings was Serena Bay who won an ATC Golden Gift 2YO Plate and was placed in a G2 ATC Percy Sykes Stakes.
Caiguna returned home to WA in 2022 after Williamson bought her for $40,000 at the Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale on the Gold Coast. She was carrying Ninetymilestraight (Flying Artie) who won a Belmont maiden during a spring prep for Trevor Andrews before earning black-type when placed in the LR Lee-Steere Classic (1400m) on Winterbottom Stakes Day in November.
Ninetymilestraight was retained to race under the Mungrup banner and has ever-increasing residual value in her own right. Afireofgidgeecoals was her second and final foal for Williamson and he’s ready to generate more black-type focus on the family.