Last December at Ascot, popular grey mare Admiration Express (My Admiration) nearly caused the upset result of the year when she charged home at odds of 100/1 in the G1 Northerly Stakes for second behind Victorian raider Light Infantry Man.
Now a five year old, the 2023 WA Champion Fillies / 1,000 Guineas heroine had gone without another stakes win until yesterday, when she made light work of the Heavy 9 conditions to comfortably win the G3 Strickland Stakes over 2000m at Pinjarra Park.
It was her third run back from a spell, and Jason Miller's super genuine grey had put the writing on the wall last start with a fast finishing 4th in the Hyperion Stakes behind Western Empire.
The behemoth Williams stable dominated the feature saddling up four of the eight Strickland runners - Western Empire (Iffraaj) vying for favoritism with Hemlock Stone (Dalghar), while Buckets Ridge (Pride Of Dubai) and Starry Heights ( Star Turn) went to the start at longer prices.
Punters were keeping Admiration Express very safe and the daughter of My Admiration was the only runner outside the top two under double figures.
On jumping Brad Parnham took Ginger Baker (Gingerbread Man) to the lead and there he stayed for the duration, while Lucy Fiore had Admiration Express perfectly positioned to strike tucked in behind the speed, with Western Empire and Hemlock Stone racing side by side midfield.
As the bold striding Ginger led them to the turn Western Empire and Hemlock Stone seemed to be struggling in the ground, but Admiration Express was absolutely loving it!
Quickly she put paid to Ginger Baker and cruised to the line to win by nearly two lengths from Buckets Ridge who ran on stoutly to take second while Ginger Baker hung on bravely for third.
Having dropped back to last Western Empire seemed to find his feet when it was all over and steamed home late for fourth.
Miller was pleased to see his gallant mare score another well deserved stakes win.
“She's a good mare this, she's a little superstar. This is her grand final and she's done a really good job.
“Obviously the Northerly and Railway are on the radar again, but in the autumn, I had been thinking about her and Bonjoy, taking them over and having a go over there.”
Bonjoy is Miller’s exciting Maschino mare winner of the Starstruck Classic last season.
With her Strickland Stakes victory Admiration Express advances her race record to 24 starts, 4- 5 -5 and earnings of $883,580.
The win gives Miller his third training victory in the G3 winter feature following Prince Turbo (2022) and Naughty By Nature (2021).
But he first tasted success in the race as a jockey when he booted home Dedicated Miss in 2004.
A $60,000 purchase for her trainer from the Namerik Thoroughbreds draft at the 2021 Magic Millions Perth Yearling Sale, Admiration Express is a daughter of the 5-time winning Verglas (IRE) mare Comme Ci who has been an excellent producer.
She is her dam's only stakes winner to date but Comme Ci has also foaled the stakes placegetters Fred Dag to Patronize and Janaura to Safeguard.
The venerable Comme Ci is still breeding and is currently in foal for the first time to WA's champion sire Playing God!
She has her 2023 filly by Splintex (Snitzel) - a grey like mum - still to race, and her son Patron Express ( Patronize) is currently racing successfully with Miller. His full sister Flinders Lane was also a winner.
Admiration Express was Comme Ci's second filly by My Admiration - the first was multi winner Jaguar Grey, now at stud.
Her very first foal back in 2012 was Barry’s Rabbit by Blackfriars - 70 starts for 7 wins!
Such a tough and prolific family.
Comme Ci is out of 7 x winning sprinter Residual by the mighty Zeditave, a three quarter sister to two stakes winners and dam of five winners including Comme Ci's stakes placed full sister Versarc (producer) and G2 placed Subsequential, dam of six winners including Tasmanian Guineas winner Moving Money (Artie Schiller)
Another daughter of Residual, Weaponess foaled Old Comrade Stakes winner Weaponson to the stallion Oratorio (a relative of Verglas)
There is a little bit of Australian turf infamy attached to this family!
The third dam of Admiration Express, Miss Personality, was also the dam of good galloper Bold Personality, the famous “ring-in” horse for the (vastly less talented) Fine Cotton in an Eagle Farm betting plunge gone awry - the resulting scandal sent shockwaves through the sport in the 1980s.
Miss Personality was a top race mare having won the AJC Reginald Allen and STC Fillies And Mares Classic ( now the G1 Coolmore Classic
She was also the dam of STC Civic Stakes winner Piccata.
This family traces to the mare Beauty Of Bath by Nimbus, Grey Sovereign's Derby winning three quarter brother - so little wonder the tail male line of Grey Sovereign through Verglas has brought about good results.
The excellent miler Verglas sired Australian G1 winner and sire Glass Harmonium and French G1 winner The Monarch among his best.
His West Australian bred daughters also include stakes winners Spirited One, Ma Chienne and Royal Devotion.
Verglas was always going to be a broodmare sire of value hailing from the stallion-making “Missy Baba” family which has given us the likes of Oratorio, Raja Baba, Statue Of Liberty and Bite The Bullet and on the global stage AP Indy, Summer Squall, Lemon Drop Kid, Duke Of Marmalade, Al Mufti, Gay Mecene, Ekraar, Honor Grades and more.
Admiration Express is one of three third stakes-winners for the Encosta De Lago stallion My Admiration who stands at Westbury Park Stud.
The classy sprinter miler was twice G2 placed in Hong Kong and is bred on the same cross as WA's boom sire Maschino, being by Encosta out of a Redoute's Choice mare.
Champion sire Zoustar is also bred along these lines.
My Admiration's stakes winning dam Provence is a full sister to stakes winner Lucky Unicorn and half sister to G1 Hong Kong Sprint winner Inspiration (Flying Spur) and to G1 Australian Guineas winner and sire Wandjina (Snitzel).
This classy and always active family boasts recent stakes winners Scarlet Oak, The Fortune Teller, Complacent and Miss Sentimental to name a few!
Westbury Park is a partner in Western Breeders’ Alliance with Darling View Thoroughbreds and Einoncliff Park.
Launched in 2015, WBA has been the leading vendor for the last five years at the Perth Magic Millions Yearling Sales
My Admiration stands at Westbury Park beside the successful Tapit son A Lot.
The son of Encosta De Lago’s fee for 2025 is set at $4,400
