Valentine Miss and I’m A Hussy filled the quinella in the G3 How Now Stakes at Caulfield on Saturday and they also spotlighted the growing influence of horseflesh from Western Australia and Tasmania.

The West has found another star sprinter to follow Miss Andretti and Scenic Blast into the big time.  Known as Hay List, he arrived with a bang in the G3 Healy Stakes at Brisbane during the winter carnival.  

Hay List (Statue of Liberty) won the G3 McEwan Stakes at Moonee Valley last time and he will give it his best shot in the G1 Manikato Stakes this Friday.

The Sunspeed breed were back in the groove at Caulfield last Saturday when Valentine Miss nailed I’m A Hussy (West Quest) in the last stride.  The Tassie filly refused to lie down and will pick up a race or two before freshening up for her home-town carnival.

Valentine Miss  (5m Danetime – Torolosa by Housebuster) was a $12,000 buy at the 2007 Magic Millions Perth Yearling Sale.  She was offered by the Yovich family’s Evergreen Lodge and is of two winners produced by the Housebuster mare Torolosa.  She retired a maiden but was G3 placed in the 2001 Champion Fillies Stakes at Ascot behind Tribula and Monkey Business.

Torolosa a half sister to the Andrew Ramsden Stakes winner New Kid in Town.  South-west breeders John and Joan Blackburn developed the family from the stakes winning One Pound Sterling mare Yuleda.

Valentine Miss has earned over $355,000 from a $12,000 outlay.  That’s value with a capital V.  Trainer Mark Kavanagh said the mare could run next in the Tristarc Stakes.  “There’s plenty of races around for her – so we’ll check our options,” he said.  “There’s plenty of time to decide.”

Valentine Miss is by Danetime who died just as he was just starting a fourth Sunspeed book in September 2005.  His Caulfield winner is raced by Nada Banovic-Edwards – wife of former top Perth trainer Dave Edwards.

Their son Shane trained Valentine Miss in Perth where she won three races and was runner-up in the Listed Burgess Queen Stakes.   The decision to send the mare to Kavanagh brought back memories for the Flemington trainer.

“I worked with Dave Edwards in the 1960s in Adelaide,” Kav recalled.  “He working for Bart and used to leg me up on Light Fingers and lead me around the streets of Morphettville.  They were good times – I felt so good when I was on her back!”