Adam Durrant won the Listed WA Breeders Classic back in 2020 with his good gelding Money Matters, and the leading trainer notched up another victory in the 1200m southwest feature - the richest provincial race for 3YOs in the state - with gifted filly Playin’it Sweet (Playing God) scoring a determined win.
Money Matters went on to win three more stakes races including a G3 Roma Cup, and Durrant will be hoping his daughter of WA's champion sire can follow a similar path.
Playin'it Sweet duelled for favouritism in the Breeders Classic with last season’s Champion WA 2YO Talkanco (I’m All The Talk) trained by Dan and Ben Pearce.
Playin'it Sweet narrowly had the better of her rival ( who was conceding her 3kg) in the Listed Burgess Queen Stakes at Ascot in November, and after a break had been tuned up for this assignment with two runs for two close defeats under 60kg.
Talkanco had gone on from the Burgess Queen to contest the G3 WA Champion Fillies in which she finished runner up to Exceedance filly Pure Excess before heading to the paddock, and was resuming.
Again, with 57kg she would carry more weight than Playin’it Sweet who was dropping to 55.
Ryan Hill was attempting back to back victories in the race after London's Image saluted for the stable last season and saddled up three fillies - Pure Silver (D'Argento), Nature's Reckoning (Calyx) and Solo Vega (Lucky Vega) but punters weren't keen, nor could Steve Wolfe's Our Naughty Secret (I'm All The Talk) find a friend in the betting ring.
The market had it right, as the much-anticipated clash between the two star fillies delivered the quinella.
The D'Argento filly Pure Silver led the race at a solid tempo showing a liking for the front running role, as did her sire!
Lucy Fiore had Playin'it Sweet perfectly positioned just off the speed throughout while Talkanco under Brad Parnham took up her customary role as backmarker.
It would once again prove to be her undoing, as despite coming home with a powerful finish she couldn't overhaul Playin'it Sweet who had surged past a gallant Pure Silver in the straight.
Playin'it Sweet was tough to the line and held off Talkanco by a long neck with 50/1 shot Pure Silver sticking on gamely for third just in front of her stablemate Nature's Reckoning.
Playin'it Sweet is an owner's dream, having never finished out of the placings in her eleven race starts!
Her WA Breeders Classic victory advances her record to six wins (two Listed), two seconds and three thirds for earnings of $630,540.
The star filly is a homebred for the Cosgrove family who will retain her for breeding when the time comes.
The Cosgroves purchased her beautifully bred dam Sweet Ora (Oratorio) a decade ago as a $15,000 Perth Magic Millions yearling - and what an astute purchase she turned out to be!
Sweet Ora was bred by renowned WA nursery Geisel Park, whose owner Eddie Rigg chose Mungrup Stud's champion Stravinsky son Oratorio as the ideal mate for his Danehill mare Blondine.
Blondine had won at Caulfield and was already a stakes producer of the Listed Hareeba Stakes winning sprinter La Famelia (Strategic) - her best of five winners - before coming to the west.
La Famelia went on to produce the G2 Reisling Stakes winner French Fern, who has been a successful producer for China Horse Club Racing.
Blondine's dam, Biancaneve, was an unraced daughter of the fantastic broodmare sire Salieri whose bloodline became especially popular in WA due to its affinity with firm ground.
And - she was a three quarter sister to one of the all time great sprinters of the Australian turf, Lee Freedman's unforgettable 8 x G1 winning grey Schillaci!
Apart from Blondine, Biancaneve also produced Granny Apple (Bluebird) who became dam of the top QLD sprinting mare Russeting (Commands) - a G1 winner of the 1400m Tatt's Winter Stakes.
Biancaneve was out of Forina (Vibrant) the G1 Blue Diamond Stakes winning filly of 1974, and a half sister to Schillaci's G3 Widden Stakes winning dam Biscarina, by Biscay.
Their dam was the Todman daughter Tobina and here's a clue to the speed of the family - Tobina was bred 5f x5f to the damsire of the great Star Kingdom, Concerto.
This branch of family 13-b goes back to Aspen Leaf (bred 5f x 5f to breedshaping broodmare sire Spearmint) through Madam Jitters ( bred 5f x 4m to Spearmint's sire and Australasian turf immortal Carbine)
That’s some major league genetic firepower back there in the further removes of Playin'it Sweet's pedigree!
Of seven career wins, her dam Sweet Ora's best was a four length demolition job in the WA Carbine Club over1000m at Belmont.
Playin'it Sweet is the final foal and only stakes winner from Sweet Ora who produced only three, all winners.
Their beloved mare was retired from breeding last year by the Cosgroves after missing in three consecutive seasons.
Playin'it Sweet is bred
Northern Dancer 5m x 5m,5m
Danehill 3m x 3f sex balanced
Her tail female double of Star Kingdom's damsire Concerto would be much to Playing God’s liking - as his dam is bred 5m x 4f, 5f to Star Kingdom including his own ancestress Star Empress, and like Sweet Ora, Rubiton descends from a Todman mare.
This pedigree also features sex balanced linebreeding to My Babu, and to the Blue Hen Cos - the ancestress of both Better Boy and Salieri.
This lovely pedigree also features extensive linebreeding to the 3 and 7 families, the former particularly associated with producing exceptional fillies and broodmare sires.
The future is bright for Playin’it Sweet and buyers looking for a yearling by her champion sire will have fifty two to choose from at the upcoming Perth Magic Millions sale.
Thirteen of those are offered by Darling View Thoroughbreds who stand the mighty stallion, with highlights from their draft including Lot 110 a half brother to the remarkable galloper Western Empire, and Lot 132 a colt from a winning Snitzel half sister to G1 winner Oohood and to the dam of G1 winner King's Legacy (family of Not A Single Doubt)
WA’s champion sire Playing God stands at Darling View Thoroughbreds on a fee of $48,500 and covered 134 mares last spring.
