Oakland Park’s famed Yellow and Black Maltese Cross colours were seen to advantage again on Wednesday when The Top Bar (Sessions) and Triple Jay (Street Boss) doubled up at Belmont.
The Top Bar broke through at his fourth start in the TABtouch Hcp (1000m) following 2yo placings at Pinjarra and Belmont last month. He is trained by Adam Durrant for Oakland Park’s Neville and Susan Duncan in partnership with John and Jenny Maas.
“He had a freshen-up and trialled well at Lark Hill last week,” stable foreman Jason Miller said. “He was three-deep today but it was only a steady tempo and Clint (Johnston-Porter) had a good hold. He’s raw and still learning. There’s lots of upside and you like to see them win like that.”
The Top Bar (3g Sessions – Paris Cracker by Viscount) appreciated the Soft 7 going to score by over a length from Nicely Played (Nicconi) and Saxon Jewel (Saxon Warrior). He’s a full or half-brother to five winners and his second-dam Paris Petard (Mujahid) won the G3 WA Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m) in 2006.
Full-brother Saloon Bar can add black-type to the pedigree this Saturday in the LR Idyllic Prince Stakes (1300m) at Belmont. Their sire Sessions (Lonhro) has a 74% winning strike-rate on Soft and Heavy surfaces and his cross with Viscount (Quest For Fame) has a 100% strike-rate from 7 to the races.
Triple Jay stretched his winning run to four in the $100,000 Blue Spec Stakes (1200m) which had been postponed to the midweek meeting after rain washed out the second-half of Saturday’s programme.
The Pearce Racing-trained galloper settled one-out and three-back for Brad Parnham before launching a late bid to defeat Group 3-winning mare Admiration Express (My Admiration) by a head.
“I was a bit worried about the track driving up here on Saturday but luckily it’s dried out since the weekend,” co-trainer Ben Pearce admitted. “The 1650m was also a concern but it wasn’t a worry today.
“We’ve had a discussion about the summer carnival and he will probably go out for a spell now and come back for the Railway. He profiles well and will get in on the minimum.”
The $1.5 million G1 Railway Stakes (1600m) is scheduled for November 23. The Oakland Park colours saluted in the 2000 Railway with all-time great Northerly (Serheed) and again in 2005 with Covertly (Metal Storm).
Triple Jay (5g Street Boss – Jestajingle by Lonhro) races for a syndicate managed by Kate Duncan and they knocked back a $1 million offer from Hong Kong last year. “We bought him out of a paddock at Oakland Park,” Pearce recalled. “He was entered for the Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale but couldn’t go across due to the lockdowns.”
He’s a half-brother to Bruckner (Snitzel) who won the G3 McNeil Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield before retiring to Widden Victoria last year. He’s also a three-quarter brother to G3 Vain Stakes winner Jukebox (Snitzel) who is based at Aquis Farm in Queensland.
Sessions stands for $8,800 at Oakland Park alongside newcomer Ingratiating ($9,000) and Shooting To Win ($9,900)). All fees (inc GST). For bookings or further information, call Neville Duncan (0417 200 097) or stud manager Adrian Brown (0438 944 299).