It's not often that a five-year-old mare in a benchmark 64 would get a run here but there is plenty of upside to this late-maturing half-sister to the cult hero Who Shot Thebarman.
Fresh of a 3-timer at Kilmore, Billy Egan travelled to Pakenham on Thursday night to partner the Michelle Payne-trained Flag Edition in this 1600 metre contest.
Towards the tail of the field on the home turn, the daughter of Raise The Flag (GB) powered past the odds-on favourite Grinzinger Allee for an impressive two-length score.
It was the second win from seven starts for the First Light Racing colour-bearer who broke her maiden over 1606 metres at Benalla in September last year.
Ten days ago at the same track, Flag Edition's 3yo half-brother Ears The Barman (Ghibellines) broke his maiden over 1400 metres to become the seventh winner from as many to race out of White Robe Lodge’s overachieving Carolingian mare Ears Carol.
Of course, the star of the team has been the Chris Waller-trained Who Shot Thebarman who earned an honourable retirement at Living Legends following a stellar career where he contested 22 Group 1 features including six Sydney Cups, four Melbourne Cups, four BMWs, three Moonee Valley Cups, three Zipping Classics and two Caulfield Cups.
His highlight came at his fifth attempt at the Sydney Cup and when time was called on his career the son of the Sir Tristram stallion
Yamanin Vital had banked $4,587,446 from 11 wins and as many placings.
He was the major factor in his dam being honoured as the South Island broodmare of the Year for 2016.
The pedigree of Ears Carol goes back for over half a century of breeding at Brian and Lorraine Anderton White Robe Lodge who acquired her fourth dam Lochlisten (Balloch) as an 18yo and left them with the stakes-winner Attentive who was foaled when her dam was 20.
She in turn left the Riverton Cup winner Auditory a multiple stakes-winning daughter of White Robe Lodge’s champion stallion Noble Bijou who is the granddam of Ears Carol.
