It was one of the most keenly anticipated editions of WA’s premier juvenile feature in many a year - A star filly lining up against a star colt, the two of them undefeated on their way to the $500,000 G2 Karrakatta Plate (1200m) on Quokka Day at Ascot.
The hype was big and so was the result, but it was destined to go off-script in spectacular fashion!
The unbeaten filly was Neville Parnham's brilliant and blueblooded Aurum Belle. The $725,000 daughter of the late Snitzel had done nothing but impress in her three starts, running slick time to easily win the Supremacy and Gimcrack Stakes at her last two. She had drawn a horror gate for this grand final, but punters showed faith in the fact the fillies had run lengths faster than the colts in their lead up races and they sent the royally bred little princess out as the Karrakatta favourite at 2/1.
The unbeaten colt and second favourite was Sean and Jake Casey's Beatty (Gingerbread Man) a stablemate to the well fancied Gimcrack runner up Maria Lucia (Rommel) and a comprehensive first up winner of the Perth Stakes.
Beatty had the services of Willie Pike in the saddle and plenty of fans, but the colts he beat home in the Perth Stakes - He’s A Machino (Maschino) and Afireofgidgeecoals ( Too Darn Hot ) were absolutely friendless in betting at odds of 40/1 and 30/1 respectively.
A capacity field of sixteen included promising types by a range of local and interstate sires - Manhattan Rain, who would see his son Jigsaw become Quokka hero about an hour after the Karrakatta, had the well bred Boy Crush going round at 9/1.
Snow Monkey ( Trapeze Artist) had her admirers at 14/1 as did Striking Alibi ( Hanseatic) and Lady Torque ( Rommel) at 16/1.
The big field of excited babies danced their way out onto the track in front of a monster Ascot crowd.
Aurum Belle, as is her way, was keeping her handlers on their toes in the yard but once Brad Parnham got her away from the big atmosphere she quickly calmed down.
To their credit, the big bunch of youngsters loaded without any undue shenanigans - until the barriers flew open! That's when Beatty-backers gasped in horror as the colt came out of the inside gate like he was on a pogo stick and took Lucy Fiore straight up in the air.
He was immediately relegated to last as Aurum Belle brilliantly left her barrier in the desirable fashion and zoomed across the field to sit outside Striking Alibi who scorched to the lead.
He's A Machino and Maria Lucia both secured ideal runs in behind the speed as the Karrakatta field hit their stride. Boy Crush was buried away midfield on the rail with Lucy Fiore on Afireofgidgeecoals to his outside and Lady Torque between them.
Beatty was marooned back at the rear with Snow Monkey and roughie Jedi Dream (Cosmic Force) for company.
At the 500m Aurum Belle moved up to apply pressure to Striking Alibi and as the big field swung for home the favourite took the lead, but she wasn't getting away!
Striking Alibi fought hard, Maria and He's A Machino were still there and Beatty entered into the field of vision as he began to motor home from the tail, but Lucy Fiore on Afireofgidgeecoals was ahead of the game and she produced her Too Darn Hot colt at the perfect moment.
He had the jump on Beatty as he quickly went up to Aurum Belle. The Snitzel filly had seen off Striking Alibi but her early work told and she had no answer to the colt as he charged on by.
Beatty was still coming! in an incredible effort that saw him fail to catch the winner by just under a length on the line, in what will doubtless be remembered as one of the greatest “tragedy beaten” runs in Karrakatta history - particularly if you backed him.
A tired Aurum Belle bravely held third and unheralded 80/1 shot Jedi Dream followed Beatty home but ran out of puff near the post for a distant fourth.
While the hard luck story of Beatty was notable, take nothing away from the impressive performance of the winner who gave Dan Morton his third win in the last four editions of the Karrakatta Plate! The trainer was successful with Super Smink in 2023 and Bustling in 2024.
Afireofgidgeecoals was a $180,000 buy for owner Shane Stafford at MM Perth Yearling from the draft of Mungrup Pty Ltd.
His record now stands at 4 starts - 2-0-1 and $312,290 in earnings.
Despite the lack of market support, Morton wasn't at all surprised by his colt's victory.
“From day one we’ve had a big opinion of him, he’s a beautiful horse and it’s just fantastic to win this race.” said Dan - who just a week ago was cast down by his WA Oaks favourite Wonderfully Made finishing well beaten.
“He was just awesome. It’s easy to say now but I was quietly confident that he was tracking in the right direction and when he drew a good marble I knew we were in with a chance.
“But I had a lot of respect for that field. There was a lot of depth there, but he’s a little ripper! And no one is riding better than Lucy at the moment” said the trainer, all smiles once more.
A jubilant Fiore was also beaming as she brought the handsome son of Too Darn Hot back to scale.
“I said to Dan last start that I reckon he can win the Karrakatta,”she told the waiting reporters.
“I just felt like if he had any room ( last start) he would have gone straight past them - and he had it today, and that’s what he did.
“He jumped super and out of the corner of my eye I saw Beatty jump up and down. I didn’t want to go to the fence but a horse pushed him in there. I had so much horse underneath me, and when the run came it was awesome.”
Afireofgidgeecoals ( his funny name alludes to a Slim Dusty song about drinking around the campfire with mates) becomes the 34th stakes winner for Darley super sire Too Darn Hot ( Dubawi) and his fifth juvenile stakes winner in Australia.
He is the eighth Australian stakes winner this season for the amazing stallion, with G1 Oakleigh Plate winning son Tropicus leading the charge.
The good looking Afireofgidgeecoals is the ninth and final foal from his dam Caiguna who died in 2024.
The daughter of Dubai Destination was a track talent with two wins including the Listed Natasha Stakes 2200m, and was runner up in the G2 WA Guineas. Every one of her seven foals to race was a winner and included the Sydney G2 placed Serena Bay ( Sebring) dam of stakes placed Summer Loving ( Exceed And Excel) and durable performers like Echo Point ( 11 wins), Built ( 6 wins) and King Eccellente, a multiple winner in HK.
Serena Bay's latest offering, a full sister to Summer Loving, sold for $300,000 from Kia Ora Stud to KPW Bloodstock at Inglis Easter this year.
Her filly by Snitzel named Boa Vista was a $1.25 million 2024 MM Gold Coast buy for Sheamus Mills Bloodstock (FBAA) from the Newgate Farm draft.
Caiguna was one of two winners and the only stakes winner from her dam Bremer Bay by WA stalwart stallion Scenic, a six time winner who was fourth in both the Belmont Oaks and Belmont Guineas, out of a daughter of another legendary WA sire Marooned, All Washed Up.
Bremer Bay was exported to NZ where she produced daughters by Thorn Park, Keeper and Pins who have all bred on.
Her tough dam All Washed Up won from 1100 to 2600m, with her stakes win coming in the Listed WATC St Leger, but she was six times stakes placed including twice runner up in the G3 Winter Cup and placed in the G3 Bunbury Cup.
All Washed Up's half sister Straight No Ice ( Whiskey Lover) was a stakes winning sprinter as was her full brother Irish Jack.
The sire of their dam Clearview Princess was by none other than WA's beloved champion racehorse Asian Beau and this is a branch of the 2-f (Alope) family descending from Chenille by King Salmon - Clearview Princess is sex balanced to her ancestress, who was also the dam of the influential stallion Alcide carried by Asian Beau.
Afireofgidgeecoal's ancestress Media is a half sister to Electric Flash (ancestress of Marju, Song Of Tara, the great mare Salsabil etc) and has founded her own worthy branch of this vast tribe.
Afireofgidgeecoals is bred
Mr Prospector 5m x 4m
Sadlers Wells 5m x 4m
He is linebred to Blue Hen Where You Lead via her daughters Slightly Dangerous dam of Deploy and Idyllic dam of Scenic, and Kingmambo brings the sex balancing line of Blue Hen Special via her son Nureyev to nick with daughter Fairy Bridge.
Lalun is linebred through sons Never Bend and Bold Reason, the latter in Sadlers Wells the former through duplication of son Mill Reef (Marooned and Shirley Heights) while Lyphard and Hail To Reason are sex balanced.
Mr Prospector's relative Seattle Slew boosts that important Frizette (13-c) nick because Too Darn Hot himself is a descendant of that mare with his line belonging to the branch which produced the breedshaping French sire Tourbillon ( Djebel) and Lalun's damsire Djeddah. This blood is very prominent in Caiguna, the dam of Afireofgidgeecoals.
The great Too Darn Hot stands at Darley NSW and was priced at $275,000 last year.
