Last week, the 8-year-old Playing God gelding Comfort Me earned a belated stakes win in the Group III WATC Eurythmic Stakes at Ascot, and few horses were more worthy.
The Rhys Radford-trained gelding had paid his dues with placings in the Group 1 Railway Stakes (twice), Group II Lee Steere Stakes, Group III Gold Rush (twice), and Group III Eurythmic Stakes.
At Ascot on Saturday, the lightly raced West Star led home a Playing God quinella in the Listed MacMahon Belgravia Stakes (1200m).
Ridden by Chris Parnham for Simon Miller, West Star raced handily. Striking the front at the 200m, West Star was all out to hold the fast-finishing Playing God colt September Born, who was making his first start since winning at Belmont on debut in June.
The Exceedance gelding Exceed The Planet was the longest shot in the race and was just over a length from the winner in third.
A $175,000 by for his trainer from the Western Breeders Alliance draft at the 2023 Perth Magic Millions Yearling Sale, West Star advances his record to three wins, a second, and a third from five starts with earnings of $317,780.
Bred by Clive Atwell, West Star is the best of two winners from four to race for the winning Patronize mare Jester Derriere, a sister to stakes-placed Jestpatim, and a half-sister to the Listed Magic Millions WA 2YO Classic and Listed Perth Stakes winner The River (Magnus), and a half to stakes-placed Souncheck (Your Song).
West Star is the 20th stakes-winner for Playing God and is the final foal of Jester Derriere, who has been retired.
