Swettenham Stud graduate Starlight Lady is on track for the Group 2 Perth Cup after breaking a frustrating losing streak in Western Australia.

Starlight Lady (Fantastic Light) won Saturday’s Tony Carter Memorial (2200m) by a half-length from Young Lionel.  The runner-up is a son of Swettenham’s Victoria Derby winner Blackfriars.

The Karen Kersley trained stayer has won 9 races and over $333,000 since Swettenham sold her for $32,000 as a weanling at the Magic Millions National Foal Sale.  “She should have won last year’s Kalgoorlie Cup instead of finishing second to Shaun O’Donnell and Classique Ivory,” Kersley claimed.  “She doesn’t need a lot of racing and her final run before the Perth Cup will be in the Cox Stakes.”

Starlight Lady has been unplaced in two previous Perth Cup attempts behind Black Tycoon (2014) and Talent Show (2013).

There’s another Swettenham link to the Perth mare through her half-sister Noetic (Cape Cross).  She was stakes-placed as a two year-old at Flemington and Swettenham owner Adam Sangster had her covered by Starspangledbanner this season.

Their USA bred dam Dancing Starlight (Atticus) won at Deauville and is a half-sister to Maisons-Laffitte G3 winner Deep Sleep (Rahy) and Del Mar LR winner Live Your Dreams (Mt Livermore).