No-one could deny Dainty Tess deserved a black-type breakthrough in Saturday’s G3 Prince of Wales Stakes (1000m).

Dainty Tess came with a rush to relegate Profit Street by a half-neck clocking 58.45s at Ascot.  One of Perth’s most consistent horses in training, she has won 10 times in 26 starts for prizemoney of $741,200.

The Dan Morton-trained mare is the 37th stakes winner by Yarradale Stud sire War Chant (USA) and will be given a chance at Group 1 level in the Winterbottom Stakes at Ascot on December 2.

“Nothing she does surprises me anymore,” Morton admitted.  “We keep raising the bar and she keeps getting over it.  I didn’t think she would get there but she digs deep.  I haven’t trained one this tough since Scenic Shot.”

Dainty Tess is raced by a syndicate that includes Morton’s wife Carol and Fred Fairthorne who was also in multi-millionaire Scenic Shot.  Her earnings include a record-breaking $202,500 in Westspeed bonuses.

Yarradale Stud owner Ron Sayers and Nic Giorgetta won a Belmont juvenile with her dam Classic Smile (Bletchley Park).  The mare has a yearling colt and a colt on the ground by War Chant and was covered by him again last week.

Classic Smile was on lease to Queenslea Park’s Allan and Aaron Morton when she foaled Dainty Tess.  Her War Chant yearling colt will be catalogued for the 2018 Perth Magic Millions by Hilary Williams.

War Chant (Danzig) just missed a stakes winning double on Saturday when Variation was beaten a half-head in the G3 Asian Beau Stakes (1400m).  He remains on track for the G1 Railway Stakes (1600m) on November 25.

Yarradale still has a few bookings open to War Chant this season at an $11,000 (inc gst) service fee.  His associates Bradbury’s Luck, Gingerbread Man, City Place (USA), Heritage and Vital Equine (Rosalee Park) are available for $4,400 (inc gst).

DAINTY TESS
Photo: Western Racepix