Cockatoo Ridge cock-a-hoop at Belmont

The Cockatoo Ridge Syndicate was cock-a-hoop when rising star Shady Bet won at Belmont on Wednesday.

Cockatoo Ridge manager Colin Loxton and trainer Neville Parnham have enjoyed a season to remember with stablemates Playing God and God Has Spoken and there’s more black-type on the horizon with Shady Bet.

Shady Bet (2g Bletchley Park – Lady Yasmin by Mujahid) took his record to two wins from three starts in the Bateman Engineering Hcp (1100m).  “I think he’s got a bit of a future,” Parnham predicted.  “He’s nice and relaxed like a lot of the good Bletchley Parks.”

Shady Bet took a sit behind Foo Flyer and Pure Heaven on Wednesday before splitting the leaders in the straight.  His only loss to date was on debut behind Bliss Street and she went on to win the G3 WA Sires’ Produce Stakes.

Shady Bet cost $42,500 from the Toreby Park consignment at the 2010 Perth Magic Millions.

It was the third bargain in a row for Parnham and Loxton at the Magic Millions.  They paid a combined $68,000 for Playing God and God Has Spoken at the 2008 and 2009 yearling sales and the Blackfriars duo have earned a total of $1.63 million!

Shady Bet is the first juvenile winner this season by Bletchley Park.  The Lynward Park sire died in February after a record-breaking stud career in the Sunspeed State.

Shady Bet’s dam Lady Yasmin is a half-sister to the Jeune feature winners Pure Velocity (Onkaparinga Cup) and Swift Jeune (WA Easter Cup).  Her Trade Fair filly failed to reach at $20,000 reserve at the 2011 Perth Magic Millions.