Ascot showcased Western Australia’s breeding industry to a national audience at the Kingston Town Classic meeting on Saturday.
Leading breeder Bob Peters is looking towards a Sydney campaign with his 3yo filly Arcadia Queen who announced her arrival on the big stage with a consummate victory in Perth’s weight-for-age championship.
Peters also won the LR Jungle Dawn Classic with his homebred mare Celebrity Dream as part of a shut-out for the local industry,
Scenic Lodge champion Universal Ruler sired a winning double commencing with Market Ruler in the Tourism WA Trophy (1000m). Bred and part-owned by David Reed with a syndicate from the Cottesloe Golf Club, she has won 5 times in 9 starts for prizemoney of $340,935 including Westspeed Bonuses of $145,000.
It’s a Sunspeed family going back to Broker’s Break, a daughter of Coral Park Stud legend Beau Sovereign.
Universal Ruler front-runner The Velvet King struck again for more black-type in the Sir Ernest Lee-Steere Classic. He won the LR Fairetha Stakes last month and enjoyed some cheap sectionals under Mitch Pateman on Saturday.
“If anything, I thought Mitch was too steady in the lead,” trainer Darren Mcauliffe admitted. “He’s tough and fit and usually goes a bit quicker to take the sting out of them. That left him vulnerable but he was still too good.”
The Velvet King’s dam Doubleblack Velvet (Show A Heart) was purchased for $7,500 by Impressive Racing’s Kevin Berry at the 2013 Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale. She delivered a Universal Ruler filly in August and is back in foal to him.
Veteran grey gelding Candlelight Star won the sprint dedicated to trainer Bill Doughty who passed away last week. His sire Kendel Star died this time last year, aged 27, at Rivercrest Park.
Candlelight Star was one of the last horses bred by Mary Johns who ran Bindaree Stud in the Great Southern from 1967 to 2011. Her father Fred Farquhar stood Champion WA sire Camelhair (Gainsborough) at Gingin in the 1940s.
Darling View Thoroughbreds owner Clive Atwell bred Alpha Sky (Patronize) to win the Quayclean Hcp (1000m) and Rangeview Stud’s Rob Gray followed up with Lucky Roar (So Secret) in the Crown Perth Hcp (1500m).
Oakland Park’s Neville Duncan won the 2013 Kingston Town Classic with Ihtsahymn and his colours were back in the frame courtesy of Cappo D’oro in the LR Towton Cup (2200m). The winner is a half-brother to Duncan-bred stayers No Wine No Song (G1 Sydney Cup) and Atlantic Air (LR Bagot Hcp).
Juicing Carrots (Black Tom) blew quaddie punters to smithereens with a long-shot victory in the ‘lucky’ last. He’s by 2006 Perth Cup winner Black Tom and was bred by Mandurah-based owner-trainer Raquel Reid.
Black Tom also had Prying Eyes run a career-best fifth in the Kingston Town Classic on Saturday. Not bad for a stallion who stands 200kms north of Perth at Dunmar Farm for a $500 service fee.
UNIVERSAL RULER