The Vinery Stud Stakes is the traditional lead up to the ATC Oaks and this prestigious fillies race has been a G1 feature since 1993.
The 2000m contest was inaugurated by the STC in 1979 as the Storm Queen Stakes, and is still registered as such.
Throughout the 1990s until 2001, it was the Ansett Australia Stakes, then became the Arrowfield Stud Stakes until 2009, when the historic Vinery Stud assumed sponsorship.
For that year it was run as the Vinery Stud Storm Queen Stakes - before becoming simply, as we now call it, “The Vinery.”
It's always been a great race and the honour roll boasts some of the best race fillies we've ever seen, as well as those who went on to shape the Australasian thoroughbred.
But who was Storm Queen? Sixty years ago this year, Storm Queen flew across the Rosehill turf to give the legend Bart Cummings his first Golden Slipper.
Though Bart will forever be “The Cups King” he trained four Slipper winners, and Storm Queen was particularly special to him.
This champion daughter of the imported Nasrullah son Coronation Boy was foaled in 1963.
Storm Queen was a finely built, elegant bay. Bart once compared her to his great mare Light Fingers, another small and light framed individual. He marvelled at the strength and courage such relatively petite fillies could possess.
Storm Queen was owned by Bart’s brother Pat, and was bred from the stakes winning mare Storm Gleam (by Sun Storm from Crown Appeal) who had been owned and trained by their father Jim Cummings.
The mare would breed four black type winners for the family, and Storm Queen became her champion.
From her dam, the filly inherited an extremely difficult temperament. It took the combined genius of Bart and legendary jockey Roy Higgins to turn her into a racehorse - Higgins was unceremoniously dumped from her back on numerous occasions at trackwork. Her first appearance at the races was lacklustre.
But all of a sudden, their persistence paid off, as something clicked in the mind of this headstrong beauty!
She would blaze through her next eleven juvenile starts undefeated. Storm Queen arrived in Sydney for the Golden Slipper having soundly beaten the colts in the VRC Sires.
The 1966 Slipper was run on a bog track. Storm Queen was near last and looked hopeless as the field turned for home, but she powered to the line to finish over the top of boom colt Academy Star.
At her final two year old start, the great filly lined up in the Champagne Stakes. This time the track was firm, but it made no difference as she rocketed home to win in fast time.
At three, Storm Queen returned to blitz them in the Lightning Stakes and win the Caulfield Guineas by five lengths. In all, the filly won six G1 (or now G1) races for Bart. On retirement her record stood at 13 wins from 20 starts.
Though never tried beyond a mile, the way she bolted in the Caulfield Guineas against the colts, suggests 2000m against her own sex may not have posed a problem for the gallant little bay.
As is so often the case, Storm Queen failed to reproduce her own greatness at stud. She would produce ten foals for Pat Cummings, her sole stakes winner being the WA raced filly Storm Star - who won the 1000m Breeders Plate at two and the 2600m WA St Leger at three!
The history of this family is deeply linked to the Cummings tribe.
Storm Queen’s dam had a full sister Solar Eclipse, who would become an important broodmare through her daughter Dark Queen by Coronation Boy - a three quarter sister to Storm Queen.
Unlike her champion sibling, Dark Queen was a great broodmare. Her son Taj Rossi was a superstar three year old for Bart in the Melbourne spring of 1973, his string of victories (for which he was crowned Australian HOTY) encompassing the Cox Plate and VRC Derby.
He wasn't the only great from this female line trained by the master.
Bart's homebred Cox Plate / Cup immortal Saintly had Dark Queen as his fourth dam - he descended from a half sister to Taj Rossi.
Notable past winners of The Storm Queen / Vinery Stud Stakes include Savabeel's mum Savannah Success in 1999 - her great son has so far sired two Vinery winners - Lucia Valentina and Orchestral, while Probabeel and Nurse Kitchen were only narrowly defeated.
This year Savabeel is represented by the outstanding Belle Cheval.
Savabeel has continued the domination - you'd expect nothing less - of his sire Zabeel, who is all over the history of this race as a sire, sire of sires and broodmare sire.
His name appears often in combination with his favourite bride, Blue Hen Eight Carat.
Champagne kicked things off for the Cambridge Stud legend in 1998. She was followed by Hill Of Grace in 2000 and Shower Of Roses (Eight Carat was her grand dam) in 2003 - Zabeel first appeared as a damsire with Raspberry Ripple in third.
In 2009 Purple by Commands became Zabeel's first winner as a damsire ( Eight Carat cross) and she was followed by Faint Perfume, Fenway and Hiyaam, the latter two fillies by High Chaparral.
One of the all time greats won the Vinery in 2019 - Verry Elleegant, by Zabeel son Zed and bred x 2 to her own ancestress Cotehele House, Eight Carat Magic again. The force was strong with this one.
2023 victress Prowess was by Proisir out of a mare by Don Eduardo ( Zabeel x Eight Carat)
This year the blood of Zabeel through daughters is carried by the 2026 Vinery favourite Ohope Wins and by Panova, while roughie Stand My Ground is by new sire North Pacific who has a line to son Octagonal.
We've got a bit of Eight Carat linebreeding going on too - and for once it doesn't involve Zabeel!
Aisle Two is by Shooting To Win (Sir Tristram x Cotehele House on his damline) and her third dam is by Sir Tristram's fine son Kaapstad, out of Eight Carat herself. This filly is also a member of the famed NZ “Belle” family - albeit a modestly performed one.
Danendri (1997) was Danehill’s only winner of the race but several sons have exerted his influence including -of course - Redoute's Choice ( the late great Miss Finland 2007) and sons Not A Single Doubt (Shout The Bar, Single Gaze) and Alabama Express (last year's heroine Treasurethe Moment).
This year Snitzel sons Trapeze Artist (Panova) and Russian Revolution (Long Legs) are represented.
There’s a nice link between Trapeze Artist and former Vinery winners - he descends from Phar Lap’s full sister Raphis, as did the great champion Research who won this in1989 on her way to collecting Australian HOTY - and the very first winner of the Storm Queen Stakes, the Showdown filly Impeding, was her close relation.
The Autumn Sun, who sired 2024 runner up Tutta La Vita, has outsider After Summer. It’s only a matter of time until a daughter of The Sun wins this, could she spring a surprise?
Redoute's Choice is the damsire of race favourite Ohope Wins.
Special mention has to be made of the Nureyev son Spinning World, from the same Best In Show family as Redoute’s.
His daughters Special Harmony and Heavenly Glow both won this race and champion Special Harmony is the grand dam of the Vinery heroine Fangirl.
Spinning World's son Thorn Park sired the 2013 Vinery winner Norzita, and as his Cox Plate winner Ocean Park is from a Zabeel mare, race favourite Ohope Wins should find this track / trip much to her liking. In common with Heavenly Glow, she is linebred to Best In Show.
Yulong's exciting young sire Tagaloa has his first Vinery runner in the shape of the well fancied grey Salty Pearl, while bolters Celestial Award ( Shamus Award) and Stand My Ground ( North Pacific) round out the field of nine.
The classy Kiwis dominate the betting as you'd expect. Kind of shocked that I'm saying it, but I'm not convinced this is Belle Cheval's race… I know, I know, she’s by Savabeel, great family, great trainers, the Well Written formline - I'm probably mad, but at 2000m for the first time on a very wet track, niggly doubts assail me. Not every Savabeel loves the wet, not every Savabeel likes to go beyond a mile, and she is so brilliant….
Top Pick: OHOPE WINS
The near last to first G1 NZ Oaks win was something very special, and NZB Filly Of The Year Ohope Wins looks primed to make a winning Australian debut for Chris Waller.
The last winner of that title to cross the ditch and win this race was Savabeel's dam Savannah Success in 1999 ( she was also coming off a NZ Oaks win) so it's not easy.
Orchestral in 2024 had previously won the NZ Derby.
There are legitimate questions. Ohope Wins, though freshened, is still in her first preparation and - as the filly didn't hit her winning straps until she got up to 2000m - could dropping back from the Oaks trip be an issue?
It's possible, but all reports are that she's settled into Waller-world beautifully.
J Mac's in love with her ( he rode Orchestral, and draws favourable comparison) and the trainer himself says “She has certainly got something about her.”
Yes, she does. The daughter of Waikato Stud's Cox Plate champion Ocean Park is such an exciting style of racehorse. She's clearly got a huuuuge motor and has a massive stride on her that eats up the ground. You watch her run and she oozes X-factor.
So I can’t go past her form or her pedigree, and as all but one of her six starts have been on soft - she bolted in the G2 Sir Patrick Hogan Stakes over this trip on a Soft 6 two starts ago - rain is not too much of a concern.
Though untried on heavy, if it comes to that Ohope Wins is bred to handle it.
Following her Sir Patrick Hogan triumph, Yulong swooped and the star filly now races in their colours.
In fact the Ocean Park - sired Oaks quinella ( runner up, the G2 Waikato Guineas winner Autumn Glory) are now both part of Yulong’s future breeding plans after an epic NZ shopping spree.
Formerly trained by Lance O’Sullivan and Andrew Scott, the gifted filly is a triumph for Gartshore Bloodstock - true believers in her dam, who had little racetrack ability - and until Ohope arrived, had not produced a winner.
That's Choux Mania, a Redoute's Choice sired half sister to champion three year old and NZ HOTY Jimmy Choux ( by Ocean Park's sire Thorn Park) and to his G1 winning half sister Miss Wilson by Stratum, now owned by Kia Ora Stud.
Their dam Cierzo ( Centaine) also produced daughters Laced Up ( by Keeninsky, stakes producer), Jimmy Choux's winning full sister Choux Diva ( at stud in Australia) and Diamond Dream (by Fastnet Rock, breeding in NZ).
Cierzo's dam Gale by the good Bletchingly son Wild Rampage was a Listed winner and half sister to G1 Rosehill Guineas / Canterbury Guineas / AJC Derby placed Danamite from Imposing Choice ( Imposing).
Ohope Wins is bred
Northern Dancer 5m x5m
Nureyev 4m,4f x
Bletchingly 5f x 5m,5m sex balanced
She is linebred to Blue Hen Best In Show via her daughters, the full sisters Minnie Hauk and Show Lady by Sir Ivor, and sex balanced to him through Sir Tristram, as well as to Sir Tristram's damsire Round Table and second damsire My Babu.
Ohope wins carries duplications of Le Filou in combination with a sex balance of Relic through the sires Vice Regal and Wild Rampage, while Pompeii Court and Vain's grandsire Court Martial descend from the same mare, Plymstock.
Cierzo by Centaine is sex balanced to Todman and this along with three lines of Bletchingly gives an unusually high concentration of that great old Star Kingdom blood!
The magic that produced Jimmy Choux has certainly roared to life again to help bring forth this exciting filly, who could be anything.
Newly crowned GOAT J Mac and Ohope Wins will go back and storm home from barrier 9.
Next Best: SALTY PEARL
The Maher camp deploy Salty Pearl to Sydney in search of her first G1 win, and she deserves one.
The lovely grey daughter of Yulong's young sire Tagaloa has never run a bad race in her life, finishing no further back than 4th in all but one of her starts - and that was on debut over 1000m. She is a G2 winner, three times G2 placed and 4th at her only G1 attempt in the 1,000 Guineas.
Salty Pearl steps up to 2000m for the first time and seems to be looking for this trip.
Bred by G1-winning trainer David Brideoake, she is the first stakes winner from three to race out of the Sebring mare Leaven Of Malice.
The mare's Nicconi filly She's Iconnic has just commenced racing for SA trainer Jessica Tzaferis, and Leaven Of Malice has now been retired from breeding.
A modest winner herself, she was nevertheless well related being one of six winners from five to race including G3 winner Mildred ( Hinchinbrook) from the Statue Of Liberty daughter Tempest Tost who won the Magic Millions 3YO Trophy in 2009.
Her dam Lady Violet by the Relic line sire Old Crony produced the memorable G1 sprinter Notoire and his ironically named, less well known stakes winning half brother Well Known as well as non winner Springburn who became a stakes producer and was dam of Happy Hippy ( Shamardal) - third in the G1 Queen Of The Turf at this track to champion More Joyous.
Lady Violet was linebred to Blue Hen Firar's Carse sex balanced through son War Relic and his full sister Anchors Ahead, ancestress of her damsire Swiftly Morgan.
This family is a branch of 3-e descending from Belle Mere out of Cinna, the ancestress of Sunday Silence.
Salty Pearl is bred
Storm Cat 4f x 4m sex balanced
Halo 5m x 5m
Her sire, the typey G1 Blue Diamond hero Tagaloa is an exciting addition to the Oz breeding pool offering the brilliant, tough tail male line of Japanese HOTY and outstanding sire Lord Kanaloa ( sire of the 10 x G1 winning filly and world's best 3YO Almond Eye).
Tagaloa had a rare turn of foot but through his damsire Heart's Cry and second damsire Pivotal he also brings a ton of Classic genes.
Tagaloa is bred to be a sire of great fillies especially.
His ancestress is a daughter of Blue Hen Iltis by War Relic and a full sister to the dam of speed sire In Reality. We can see how this, and his Sunday Silence blood picks up on Salty Pearl's damlines, enhanced ( as ever) by many lines of La Troienne.
Sebring is super important, as he is not only a great broodmare sire himself but brings in Danehill's Flying Spur to double the duplication of Halo's dam Cosmah with his double of her three quarter sister Natalma and sex balances of Mr Prospector and Northern Dancer.
Tagaloa's sire King Kamehameha is a descendant of Princequillo’s Blue Hen Somethingroyal through a daughter by Bold Ruler - which is perfect for the duplicated Storm Cat and Statue Of Liberty's dam Charming Lassie as well as for Old Crony, out of the Princequillo mare Quillon and from the family of Turn-To, Halo's tail male line.
Salty Pearl is sex balanced to Hail To Reason, Native Dancer, Tudor Minstrel and more and is linebred to Blue Hens Lalun and Myrtlewood.
Salty Pearl is untested on heavy, but - on breeding, at least - it would seem to work in her favour.
The bonny grey and her regular hoop Ben Allen will have options from barrier 3.
Roughie: LONG LEGS
This is a massive step up for the Gary Portelli trained Long Legs, who comes to the G1 Vinery off a very close fourth in the Kembla Grange Classic - often a good formline, and she placed last prep in the G3 Newcastle Spring Stakes.
She is a winner here on soft, she's placed on heavy, she's a beautiful type of filly with some class about her and she's got a ripping pedigree for this race!
Long Legs was a $250,000 Inglis Premier purchase for BK Racing and Breeding from Maluka Thoroughbreds
Bred by Bowcock Bloodstock, the filly was originally purchased for $180,000 by Coventry Bloodstock from the Davali Thoroughbreds draft at the Inglis Australian Weanling Sale.
Her sire, Snitzel's dual G1 winning speedster and 3 x G1 producing stallion Russian Revolution will be itching to grab some limelight back from his close relation Home Affairs ( Vinnie) - currently basking in the afterglow of one who has sired a Golden Slipper winner.
Long Legs is bred
Danehill 4m x 3m
Nureyev 4m x 5m
Royal Academy x 5f,5f
It is certainly an interesting pedigree with a balance of speed and stamina influences which seem to have blended fortuitously to produce a middle distance type of filly.
Here again we have that Best In Show double through the full sisters by Sir Ivor, with Marauding the sex balancer this time, just as Redoute's Choice sex balances Nijinsky and Snitzel sex balances Storm Bird.
We also have the double of Habitat (family 4-r and by Northern Dancer by Nearco 4-r) carried by the dam of Long Legs, which ties in with Russian Revolution's ancestress Fanfreluche (by Northern Dancer, family 4g and strongly linebred to Nearco's tribe)
A key factor is mighty Miswaki - he provides the 16g family cross which the Denises's Joy family loves and on which Spinning World sired Thorn Park.
Long Legs has always looked like a filly with a future. She will really have to elevate her game to get into the placings here, but is definitely on the way up.
Barrier 1 should suit her on speed style and Nash Rawiller jumping aboard is a plus!
Blowout: AFTER SUMMER
The VRC Oaks has been a leading form reference for this race for many years. The 2025 winner/ runner up are not here, leaving this daughter of The Autumn Sun - who placed third in the G1 - to test the formline.
She's no Ohope or Belle Cheval but she's got her share of class - perhaps her best chance is to lead, as she did when winning the Oaks Preview in the Spring, and try and run them into the ground because stamina is no issue with this beauty.
A chestnut with plenty of chrome and a big belly splash will always catch the eye, and After Summer impressed some good judges at Inglis Easter where Sutton Racing / Byron Rogers paid $170,000 to secure her from the Arrowfield draft.
They were doubtless thinking Oaks all the way, but I reckon the wet track brings her into this with a chance and I love that she is here second up - it’s perfect.
Last prep she went second up to Sandown from 1400 to a mere 1500m and unleashed a big run from the back of the field to finish 7th before easily beating the $ 1.6 million filly Seychelles, (a full sister to the Vinery winner Prowess) in the Oaks Preview, and placing to Spicy Lu in the G3 Ethereal Stakes at this trip.
I think she can defy her odds here and run a huge race.
The daughter of champion racehorse and wonderful sire The Autumn Sun is out of the Irish-bred Al Jasrah by Monsun's German HOTY Shirocco - a major race winner in five countries including the 2005 Breeders Cup Turf.
He is now an exceptional National Hunt stallion, but stood at Darley for seven seasons with success and cannot be underestimated as a broodmare sire - eg in this role he starred as the damsire of our own champion mare Montefilia (Kermadec) who was a dual G1 winner at three - and at distances shorter than an Oaks!
Al Jasrah has had five to race for five winners including stakes placed Calling The Wind, as well as this filly. She has been mated to the Autumn Sun three times - here is the pay-off.
After missing twice to Admire Mars, Al Jasra's 2024 foal for Arrowfield was a Hitotsu daughter. Finally in 2025 a colt arrived by Admire Mars, before the mare was served by Hitotsu again.
Al Jasrah is a half sister to the dam of a horse we all developed a huge affection for - the unbelievable 10x G1 winner Hartnell (Authorized).
After Summer's only inbreeding in five generations is Northern Dancer 5m,5m x 5m.
It's interesting that champion Montefilia was bred by putting a daughter of Shirocco to a son of Teofilo (Galileo x Danehill mare) and The Autumn Sun reverses that cross.
Notable sibling sibling or family nicks here include:
Nijinsky and The Minstrel, Natalma and Cosmah, Roberto and Rahy, Konigsstuhl ( Monsun's sire) and Sadlers Wells, Aureole and Round Table.
The more rain the better for After Summer. The flashy filly and Billy Egan will jump from gate 6.
The Storm Queen /ATC Oaks double has only been done 9 times – Sheraco (1982), Research (1989), Alcove (1994), Danendri (1997), Serenade Rose (2006), Heavenly Glow (2008, Verry Elleegant (2019), Hungry Heart (2021) and Treasurethe Moment (2025).
Is another great filly ready to join that illustrious company in 2026?
