Tough Street Boss (USA) mare The Boss Lady lived up to her name with a hard fought win in the G3 Belmont Sprint yesterday.
Enjoying the step up to 1400m for the first time this campaign, the Michael Lane trained four year old made amends for recent defeats in The Quokka and Northam Stakes after her gutsy first up win in the G3 Roma Cup over Quokka hero Jokers Grin.
This year the picturesque Pinjarra racecourse south of Perth became the venue for the G3 WFA contest when last Saturday's Belmont Park meeting was abandoned five races into the program due to safety concerns.
The meeting was conducted on the Scarpside track with 2024 winner Western Empire (Iffraaj) being withdrawn on race morning, allowing first emergency Mood Swings (War Chant) to gain a start.
Boom three year old West Star (Playing God) had drawn the horror barrier of 17, but so impressive was his last start win in the Northam Stakes that punters barely flinched.
They sent him to post a firm favourite, confident in star hoop Lucy Fiore’s ability to guide the exciting galloper to victory.
Northam Stakes runner up Magnificent Andy (Magnus) had fared even worse at the draw coming up with gate 18 but support rallied behind Simon Miller's gallant campaigner who has been in sparkling form.
Kept safe in betting were two more high class sons of WA’s champion sire Playing God - previous winner of the race Bustling and WFA warrior Comfort Me, the latter having drawn the widest barrier of all - but as the natural leader his chances could not be ruled out entirely.
The Boss Lady had plenty of backers and was the most fancied of the five mares in the race, although a burst of support had come for Laced Up Heels (Toronado) once it was announced Western Empire's regular jockey Willie Pike had picked up the ride.
When the big field jumped Holly Watson sent Comfort Me across the field to the front and he sped along smoothly, ears pricked in his favoured role, while West Star and Magnificent Andy had little choice but to go forward and were both having to do some work in the run.
Meanwhile Sean McGruddy had The Boss Lady from her good draw beautifully placed just in behind the speed.
At the 700m Brad Parnham on Magnificent Andy moved up to put the pressure on the leader, West Star trying to go with him and McGruddy on The Boss Lady making their effort.
At the 200m West Star hit the front - but Magnificent Andy is nothing if not tenacious and the six year old son of Magnus rallied hard to regain the lead. Comfort Me had put up the white flag, and The Boss Lady had dug in for the fight!
The nuggety little mare is big in heart and competitive spirit if not in stature and she drove determinedly to the line to win by half a length from an immensely brave Magnificent Andy.West Star got tired but the youngster hung on well for third after his gutbusting run.
The Boss Lady will now be sent for a well earned spell before Lane maps out an Ascot carnival campaign for his star sprinter later in the year.
Her Belmont Stakes win advances her career earnings to $979,690 from 20 starts which have yielded 11 wins, 2 seconds and 2 thirds.
Still only four years of age, The Boss Lady is already a very valuable breeding prospect as a dual G3 winner, Listed winner and twice runner up at that level.
The mare is a home bred for her trainer and Canal Enterprises.
Her dam is the stakes placed Star Witness mare Top Of The Class and she is the second of three named foals from the mare, both winners.
The globetrotting Star Witness is a champion sire and is rapidly becoming a broodmare sire of real significance.
He is the damsire of two genuine queens of the turf in sprinting marvel Bella Nipotina and the imperiously talented staying filly Aeliana, highlighting his versatility.
Darley’s magnificent Street Boss needs no introduction - the son of breedshaper Street Cry already has nine Australian stakes winners to his name this season alone, two of them G1 winners.
One of his best nicks has been with Fastnet Rock, whose broodmare sire - the speed influence Royal Academy - is the sire of The Boss Lady's second dam.
Top Of The Class hails from a female line well known for consistently getting runners and more importantly, winners.
The history of the family in Australasia all comes back to one special mare - the 1867 VRC Oaks winner Sylvia.
She was one of only 36 foals sired by the dual Ascot Gold Cup winner Fisherman, a veteran of 120 starts for 70 wins before his importation to Australia. Sadly this remarkable horse was short lived, but his quality was passed on. Sylvia became the dam of champion racers and sires of their time, Martini Henry and Goldsborough.
Equalling their stature in the present day is the mighty So You Think, who descends tail female from Sylvia.
The Boss Lady’s branch of this illustrious tribe comes through Sylvia's descendant Midwise, a filly able to win an AJC Gimcrack Stakes and finish runner up in the AJC St Leger the following season.
The brothers Full On Aces (Golden Slipper) and Top Of The Pack were descendants of Midwise, as is the G1 winning Lonhro son Impending, who is out of the champion filly Mnemosyne.
It's a family characterised by toughness, soundness and the will to win.
Lane purchased Top Of The Class for $10,000 at the 2014 Inglis Great Southern Weanling Sale and that was one astute purchase by the talented trainer.
Top Of The Class has a 2021 Long Leaf colt named Longway To The Top who made a promising debut only last Sunday at Pinjarra for the Lane stable and is one to keep an eye on for the future.
Top Of The Class slipped to Universal Ruler in 22/23 then successfully foaled a colt by that sire in 2024, and was covered again by him.
