Rain Affair proved he was right at home in stakes company with a gutsy victory in the G3 Missile Stakes at Randwick on Saturday.

Rain Affair (4g Commands – I Believe by Octagonal) raced on the speed and showed true fighting qualities in the straight to defeat Winter King by a short-half-head.  He emulated his own sire Commands who won the 1999 Missile Stakes on protest from Padstow when the race was run at Rosehill.

Rain Affair is raced by owner-breeder Don Storey and went into the Missile with a record of 6 wins in 7 starts.  “He was very brave,” trainer Joe Pride said.  “He’s raced right through the winter so credit to the horse for digging deep.

“He wasn’t entitled to win and will probably go out now.  He will make a good horse in the autumn.”

Rain Affair’s family has been a productive one for Storey going back to 1982 Silver Slipper winner Been There (Boucher).  He is a younger half-brother to Sydney winner Anything (Viscount).  Their dam I Believe has foaled fillies by Commands, Shamardal and Artie Schiller in the last three years.

Commands is coming off a highly successful 2010-11 season which saw him earn honours as the leading sire of individual winners with a record total of 155.  He is the sire of 39 individual stakes winners.