Playing God passed another milestone at Ascot on Saturday when Black Ora notched his 500th Australian win in the Seacorp Hcp (1000m).
A Northam maiden winner on debut back in November for trainer Adam Durrant, she scored first-up at Pinjarra earlier this month and doubled up off a ten-day turnaround in town.
Black Ora went out a $2.20 favourite and was always travelling well within herself behind Niccimota (Nicconi) before overhauling the front-runner close to home. “She’s a talented filly and delivered a determined performance to win it in style,” Durrant Racing posted on Facebook. “She tracked the leader and got the job done with a gritty performance.”
During her ten-day turnaround, Playing God had also struck with Ultimate Paradise (Kalgoorlie), Redback Flyer (Pinjarra), Collective (Geraldton) and his 3yo filly Funchal also earned Group 2 black-type when runner-up in Saturday’s WA Derby (2400m).
Playing God continues to raise the bar at Darling View Thoroughbreds and his overall stats now comprise 159 individual winners combining to win those 500 races and his strike-rate is an astronomical 71%.
Black Ora is the final foal of Ortessa (Oratorio) and she’s a three-quarter sister to the ill-fated Durrant-trained Assetro (Blackfriars) who started favourite for the 2019 WA Oaks only to fall during a tragic accident in running.
Their dam Ortessa was 2yo winner at Ascot before finishing fourth to Motion Pictures (Oratorio) in the G3 WA Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m) of 2010. The Playing God cross with Oratorio has built an 84% strike-rate led by Bustler (G1 Railway Stakes) and Ex Sport Man (G2 Karrakatta Plate).
Ortessa’s pedigree goes all the way back to black-type winners in Sydney (Royal Courtship – G2 Todman Slipper Trial), Melbourne (Poor Judge – G3 Chatham Stakes) and Brisbane (Proud Player LR Courier Mail Classic).
Another local relation was Rosa Delago who won an Ascot juvenile before returning at three to be placed in the 2009 edition of the LR Raconteur Stakes (1400m) won by Ballroom Crown (Citidancer).