Quest For Fame sired his first stakes winner since October 2008 when Tinamou scored a four length victory in the Listed Warrnambool Cup (2350m) on Thursday.

Quest For Fame’s last black-type came courtesy of Sea Battle in the G2 MVRC Crystal Mile on Cox Plate day in 2008.

Now rising 25, Quest For Fame was pensioned by Darley in 2009 and is enjoying retirement at the stud’s Twin Hills property in Cootamundra.

Tinamou (6g Quest For Fame – Whistles by Royal Academy) is trained by Robert Smerdon and was winning at the Warrnambool carnival for the third year in a row.  “He loves the soft ground,” Smerdon said.  “He put the writing on the wall at Flemington last time and was out to his right trip.”

Tinamou won on a Slow 7 in 2009 and a Heavy 8 in 2010 before bringing up the treble on a Slow 7 on Thursday.  He is raced by Aquanita chairman Peter Howell and has now earned over $300,000.  Howell and Smerdon combined to win the Listed Tasmanian Oaks with La Fantastique (Fantastic Light) in February.

The Warrnambool Cup winner is from a family that produced numerous stakes performers for Woodlands Stud.  His dam Whistles has also foaled the Sydney stakes winners Happier (Octagonal) and Referees (Grand Lodge) and she can do the same for Darley after delivering colts by Exceed And Excel and Street Sense in the last two years.

Second dam Whistling (Ace of Aces) foaled three Woodlands stakes winners – Syrinx (G2 SAJC Breeders’ Stakes), Whistle Up (G3 VRC Standish Hcp) and Noise (Listed AJC Carbine Club St).

Quest For Fame was a G1 winner of the 1990 English Derby and 1992 Hollywood Turf Hcp before shuttling between Juddmonte Farms and Woodlands.

His Australian bred sire sons include the G1 performers Viscount (Oaklands – WA), Dracula (Egmont – Qld) and De Beers (Lindsay Pk – SA).  

Sea Battle was retired to stand at The Grange in Lancefield, Victoria last year.