An eight-start maiden, the $51 outsider Lunar Impact silenced the crowd at Ascot on Saturday with a fighting win in the $250,000 Group III City Of Belmont-WA Oaks (2400m) to ring up a first Australian stakes-winner for the former Arrowfield shuttler Real Impact (JPN).
Ridden by Jason Whiting for trainer and part-owner David Harrison, Lunar Impact made a mid-race move to take up the running after being caught three-wide.
The daughter of Real Impact (JPN) was entitled to weaken following a tough run. Instead, the $51 chance began to rally, first turning back the second favourite Temptation, then holding the challenge of favourite Pure Devotion (So You Think) to win by a short-neck.
Temptation (All Too Hard) was a further three-quarter of a length back in third.
Lunar Impact was coming off a fading fifth in the Listed Natasha Stakes (2200m) at Ascot. Before that, she beat one of the ten runners home in the Listed 1000 Guineas and tailed the field home in the Listed Challenge Stakes.
However, her trainer had no doubts about her ablility to stay.
“We knew she lacked a sprint, so we thought we would let her bowl along a bit and put the pressure on from a long way out,” Harrison said.
“All she does is want to stay. She has no kick, but I think she will run all day.
“You are not sure if the plan will come off, but I thought you have to take the kick out of the good ones. The only way to do that is to go early and make it a real staying race. Sometimes it comes off, some times it doesn’t. Today was one of the times it did.
“I think we will have a crack at the (WA) Derby in two weeks.”
A $26,000 pinhook by Westbury Park out of the Newhaven Park Stud draft at the 2018 Magic Millions National Weanling Sale, Lunar Impact was consigned by Western Breeders Alliance to the 2019 Magic Millions Perth Yearling Sale where she was knocked down to Bridge Patrol Lodge for $62,500.
The strapping daughter of Real Impact is a half-sister to the talented Man Of choice (Manhattan rain), who placed in the Group 1 ATC Spring Champion Stakes, Group II Phar Lap Stakes and Group III Gloaming Stakes.
Lunar Impact is the fourth winner from as many foals to race out the Melbourne winning Redoute’s Choice mare Moonsong.
A daughter of the Group 1-placed Casual Lies mare Moon Magic, Moonsong was purchased by Freyer Bloodstock for $275,000 out of the Milburn Creek draft at the 2006 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale.
Moonsong has a filly foal by Better Than Ready and was covered by Frosted (USA) last spring.
The Group 1 Yasuda Kinen and Group 1 ATC George Ryder Stakes hero Real Impact (JPN) shuttled to Arrowfield Stud for three seasons.
The son of Deep Impact hit the high notes in Japan last May when his first-crop son Lauda Sion became his first Group 1 winner following a dominant performance in the NHK Mile Cup at the Tokyo Racecourse.
