Golden Slipper day 2026 was one to be savoured - and treasured - for Alwyn Park principal John Andrew and the famous WA nursery's longtime sire in residence - Encosta De Lago son Maschino.
Long held in the highest esteem by WA breeders for his consistent production of elite performers, Maschino was showcased on the biggest stage when his four year old daughter Machine Gun Gracie made a mess of her quality opposition in the G3 Epona Stakes at Rosehill over 1900m.
Last season’s WA Oaks / Derby heroine led for most of the race and put them to the sword in the straight as she went home on the soft track with ears pricked to score comfortably for new trainers Ben, Will and JD Hayes. Read about her here.
Hours later on the other side of the country, Maschino's daughter Bonjoy let loose with her trademark withering burst of speed to come from last and storm over the top of them in the Listed Grandstand Cup 1500m on a bone dry Ascot surface.
The big mare had bounced back to her sparkling best at her previous start when she produced her barnstorming finish to take the Bunbury Stakes in a thrilling four-way go despite missing the start.
The victory brought up Bonjoy's first stakes win since February last year when she strung together three Ascot victories (including the Listed Starstruck Classic) at 1500/1600m, but this dazzling performance was one of the best wins of the six year old's career.
The Jason Miller trained Bonjoy was sent to post as favourite for the Grandstand Cup, with the Bunbury Stakes runner up Fast Flicker ( A Lot) installed as second favourite in the thirteen horse field - and that's the way they finished again, with Bonjoy once again unleashing from the tail of the field for her favourite jockey Clint Johnston-Porter to again deny a gallant Fast Flicker, who was always prominent in running for jockey Steve Parnham and was being hailed the winner near the line.
20/1 shot Sensessional ( Sessions) was another charging home to grab third, but he couldn't match the finishing power of Bonjoy, who was giving them all weight yet was half a length in front as they passed the post. Elite Missile ( Smart Missile) was the best of the rest in fourth place.
Bonjoy was a $60,000 buy for her trainer at the Perth Magic Millions from the draft of Alwyn Park Stud.
Her Grandstand Cup win is the third black type victory for the valuable mare, and adds to her placings in the Sheila Gwynne Classic and Jungle Dawn Classic.
Bonjoy advances her record to 26 starts for 13 wins and 5 placings which have earned her connections $733,825.
Bonjoy is out of the Snitzel mare Amity Belle, unplaced in four race starts but holding much promise at stud as a daughter of the late great sire from a very good family, and she has certainly proved that to be the case.
Bred and owned by Coral Park Stud, Amity Belle has had two to race for two winners with Bonjoy being her first foal.
Half brother Audio Boy (Sessions) is a winner of more than $200,000 to date for Adam Durrant, who purchased him for $100,000 with Geoff Bull at Perth Magic Millions.
Amity Belle's 2022 colt Red Man Digger by Maschino is unraced. A full brother was born in 2024 and the mare was returned to Maschino again.
Amity Belle is one of seven foals born to the Arrowfield-bred Divine Deputy by French Deputy (USA) - a G1 sire in his homeland and in Japan, and son of the great Deputy Minister.
The unraced Divine Deputy has been a difficult breeder but produced the WA stakes winning mare Dendee to the Lonhro son Denman, who is now breeding winners for Yarraman Park.
Divine Deputy has only had six named foals, five have raced and three are winners. After a little hiatus the now twenty year old Divine Deputy produced a Playing God colt in 2025 and was returned to him.
Bonjoy's third dam is the G1 Blue Diamond Stakes placed filly Divine Secret ( Thunder Gulch), dam of 8 winners including the G1 Vinery Stud Stakes heroine Montoya's Secret ( High Chaparral) and G3 winner Delago's Secret. Multiple blacktype horses descend from her, among the best the G2 Wakeful Stakes runner up Beluga Blue ( Lookin At Lucky).
This prolific and active family descends from the Vain mare So Elated primarily through two remarkable daughters by broodmare sire supreme Don't Say Halo - Bonjoy's ancestress Prayerful who won the Burgess Queen Stakes and her full sister Excited Angel, a G2 winner at two who placed four times at G1 level including The Futurity Stakes, Toorak Hcp and Mackinnon as an older mare.
This tough and talented family is a branch of the famed Chelandry (1-n) tribe and it descends from her daughter Pennula by Sunstar - her only foal by him.
Bonjoy is bred
Redoute's Choice 3f x 3m sex balanced
She is yet another example of successful inbreeding to the Arrowfield giant specifically, and the Best In Show family in general.
The Maschino / Snitzel nick now has three runners for two winners, one stakes winner while Maschino's stakes placed Asphalt is out of a Hurricane Sky mare, and exciting son Smooth Chino is out of a mare by Gingerbread Man, who has Hurricane Sky as his damsire.
Like Maschino's Oaks / Derby heroine of last season Machine Gun Gracie, Bonjoy's pedigree boasts many lines of Blue Hen La Troienne ( Don't Say Halo's ancestress and a key presence in Redoute's Choice and Lomond) - she is also linebred to Blue Hens Lalun, Myrtlewood ( ancestress of Mr Prospector and Lomond) and Almahmoud via three quarter sisters Cosmah and Natalma.
Looking at Machine Gun Gracie, she is out of a Written Tycoon mare - which also brings in a line of Redoute's ancestress Best In Show.
Duplications of Danehill are favoured by Maschino - his 2026 WA Oaks favourite Masmelo is out of a Blackfriars mare, and brilliant speedster Fabergino - who was winning stakes races in Melbourne and Perth back in 2020/21 for Jim Anderson, who raced the stallion - was out of a Danzero mare. The lovely grey was a member of Maschino’s first crop.
Quokka hero Jokers Grin, soon to embark on the next stage of his career with Chris Waller, carries Danehill via a daughter as does stakeswinner Smooth Chino, suggesting this is a profitable pattern for Maschino.
Maschino is also a big upgrader and has to be one of the best value sires in Australia.
This season alone he has five stakes winners with seven stakes wins between them, and a further three horses stakes placed, including the exciting two year old He's A Machino who ran third in the 1000m Supremacy Stakes earlier on Saturday to unbeaten filly Aurum Belle.
The versatility of the stallion is exceptional. They sprint, they stay. Some go early, but in general improve with age and have seriously good racetrack longevity, which is another quality their sire is esteemed for.
The Maschinos are also renowned for their beautiful temperament.
At the recently concluded 2026 MM Perth Yearling Sale Maschino had two lots sell for $260,000 and $235,000, a significant increase on his previous top seller in 2025 for $185,00.
Some of his most impressive progeny have sold for far less than that - in fact last week's Natasha Stakes winner and raging Oaks favourite Masmelo was a $3,000 Perth Winter Sale score for trainer Neville Parnham!
Machine Gun Gracie was a $45,000 bargain for original trainer Justine Erkelens and has now won four stakes races from only nine starts and more than $700,000
A number of Maschino's best runners are homebreds, and many were bought for between $20 - 80,000. Those bargains are becoming a lot more difficult to obtain.
Going strong at nineteen years of age, the best may still be to come from a sire now receiving the national recognition he deserves.
There are only a handful of them left - along with the excellent Manhattan Rain who stands at Geisel Park in WA and Needs Further down at Armidale Stud in Tassie, Maschino is one of the last tail male avenues to the precious Encosta De Lago blood.
Maschino covered 94 mares last season at Alwyn Park, where he stands on a fee of $8,800.
