The Karrakatta Plate has long been regarded as Western Australia’s premier two year old race.

Back in 1990, a very tough colt by Miswaki named Umatilla crossed the continent to claim the Group 1 race for owner Bill du Pont and trainer Tommy Hughes.

Umatilla ended up having 12 starts in four different States as a 2yo, recording 3 wins and 8 placings including a second in the Group 1 Blue Diamond Stakes.  His only unplaced run at two was in that year’s edition of the Golden Slipper Stakes.

In 1993, Umatilla was retired to stud at Blue Gum Farm where he had a long and very successful stud career before passing away peacefully in 2011.

Umatilla sired 33 stakes winners and among his 6 Group 1 winners was 1996 WATC Karrakatta Plate winner Umah.

In this year’s running of the Karrakatta Plate, Umatilla again had a very strong hand in the result.  The race was won easily by the Oratorio (Aus) colt Lucky Street who is out of the Umatilla mare Rumours.

Lucky Street has won four of his five starts now for earnings of $609,950.  A very handy race filly herself, Rumours was a result of Umatilla’s second season at stud.

Umatilla continues to prove his worth to the Australian breeding industry as the damsire of 332 individual winners.  There have been 21 stakes winners in that category led by Group 1 gallopers Final Touch (NZ Captain Cook Stakes) and Ihtsahymn (WA Kingston Town Stakes).

UMATILLA
Miswaki colt and Greg Childs win the 1990 Karrakatta Plate at Ascot