Consistent five year old Rissoles claimed her first stakes victory when she produced a dominant performance to take the Listed Sheila Gwynne Classic ( formerly the Matchmaker Classic) over 1400m at Ascot, a race won last year by Royal Ascot contender Generosity.
In doing so, she became the 27th stakes winner for champion Western Australian sire Playing God, and his 5th of the current season which includes his G3 WA Oaks heroine Wonderfully Made.
The Luke Fernie trained Rissoles, carrying the distinctive Geisel Park silks of owner Eddie Riggs,broke through for well deserved black type in the sixth win of her eighteen start career, taking her overall earnings to $358,850.
Eight mares and one filly faced the starter (the three year old was 60/1 shot Nature's Reckoning by Calyx ) with the last start Marjorie Charlson Classic winner London's Image (Headwater) sent out a narrow favourite and looking for her second stakes win this preparation.
Another mare who has enjoyed an excellent Autumn is Bonjoy (Maschino) and she had plenty of fans, as did the ultra-genuine Fast Flicker (A Lot) and talented speedster Toropa (Toronado)
When they left the barriers Bonjoy with Clint Johnston-Porter aboard missed the kick badly, as Toropa and London's Image rushed forward.
10/1 hope Earthstorm (Calyx) flew around the field to take up a position outside the leaders as 60/1 Platinum Shot (Shooting To Win) dropped in for a trail and the field began to string out as they went along at a strong clip.
Lucy Fiore took London's Image to a clear lead at the 900m and the Grant and Alana Williams trained mare skipped along happily from Toropa in second with Earthstorm, getting no favours in the run, pushed forward again to sit outside her.
Fast Flicker in fourth was about to be stoked up, ditto Platinum Shot. Meanwhile Chris Parnham and Rissoles were commencing a move from well back in the field and Bonjoy was still a conspicuous last!
London's Image charged into the straight a length and a half clear of Earthstorm who was still fighting hard. Toropa was still there on the rail and Fast Flicker hooked out to make her run.
But here came Rissoles! In the blink of an eye the athletic bay swept up to them at the 100m and drew clear to win quite easily.
London's Image was a length and a half away in second with a brave Earthstorm holding off a bunch of late challengers for third.
Roughie Platinum Shot grabbed fourth with Fast Flicker next from Bonjoy, who - though she was making late ground - was never a factor in the race.
This was Rissole's first win at 1400m and came at her fourth attempt at the distance.
Trainer Luke Fernie shed some light on the mare's ability to step up to the trip at this level now.
“Her last run was really good, her sectionals backed that up and she had bombed the start there - it doesn't make life easy” he said.
“ She is a nice horse, very capable of winning nice races and she deserves to win a stakes race. There were some good mares in the race today - albeit some got the right run and others didn't - but we were fortunate that we got the right run today, and she's delivered.”
“It is a little surprise today at 1400, but I reckon I might have been a bad trainer! She's not a horse that likes a lot of work and I probably drummed too much into her trying to make her into a 1400m horse, so lesson learned on both fronts there. She is a very lightly framed horse.”
“ Eddie's been a big supporter of mine and we're more family friends than business partners, so I'm really glad she could win for him today.”
Rigg, a former vice chairman of the WATC, has recently announced the sale of Geisel Park, which he purchased with wife Kylie in 2007, to focus on his business interests.
Founded in 1846, the 100 hectare farm at Myalup south of Perth near Bunbury has been one of the state’s longest continuously farmed holdings.
Geisel Park’s current stallions Manhattan Rain, sire of Quokka winner Jigsaw, Aysar and Winning Rupert will be relocated and most of Rigg’s bloodstock dispersed, though he will retain interests in some as he intends to keep racing and breeding on a smaller scale.
Rissoles was an $85,000 purchase for Peter and Luke Fernie / John Chalmers Bloodstock ( FBAA) from the Rangeview Stud draft at Perth Magic Millions Yearling Sale.
She was the first foal from the winning Snitzel mare Snitz ‘n'Giggles, a half sister to the extremely fast and durable stakes winning sprinter Acromantula (Written Tycoon).
The mare's only other to race is the gelding Long Laugh ( Long Leaf), a $70,000 Perth MM purchase for Ryan Hill Racing from Rangeview who is three times placed from seven starts to date.
Her 2024 Perth MM offering was a Playing God colt sold from Rangeview to Commercial Bloodstock P/L (FBAA) for $90,000
Named Tidwell and in the Albany stables of Steve Wolfe he is a winner of one of his four career outings.
In 2025, a colt by Long Leaf who is yet to be named sold for $20,000 to James Fowler.
The latest yearling from Snitz ‘n’ Giggles is her 2026 Perth MM colt by Playing God who sold to buyer Commercial Bloodstock Services P/L (FBAA) $75,000.
Snitz'n'zGiggles was one of seven winners from eight to race for the stakes winning Bletchley Park daughter For Your Eyes Only.
This high quality race mare won ten times from 1000 - 1800m and was G2/G3 placed, as well as a Listed winner at two in the Gimcrack Stakes and a dual Listed victress of the Ascot One Thousand Guineas and Beaufine Stakes.
Her winning dam Communique by Rangeview’s excellent Success Express son Key Business left four winners from five foals and For Your Eyes Only was her only daughter to breed on.
She herself was one of only two foals from the Fimiston mare Send Your Regards, the other being the stakes placed Dead Eye Dick.
This female line is a branch of the famed Chelandry family descending from her daughter Pennula, the great matriarch’s only foal by the champion sire Sunstar.
Pennula had a daughter named Winters Dream by an Ascot Gold Cup winner who was imported into Australia in 1929 and she became the dam of the legendary jumper Winterset.
Rissole’s line descends from another daughter Kilmeny by the breedshaper Son- In- Law.
Kilmeny became the ancestress of Star Kingdom's Flight Stakes / 1,000 Guineas winning filly Reveille who was sold to the USA and became an important broodmare for Claiborne Farm. Her daughter Breakfast Bell by Buckpasser foaled the G1 Classic winner Believe It (damsire of Real Quiet).
Interestingly, Rissole’s rival - the top mare Bonjoy - also descends from Pennula, through her descendant So Elated (Vain)
Rissole's grand dam For Your Eyes Only is still breeding. Her latest foal is a colt by the very fast dual G3 winner Ingratiating (Frosted) who stood his first season at Oakland Park stud in 2024.
Her colt by Snitzel son Splintex sold from Gold Front to Ryan Hill Racing for $37,500 at the 2026 Perth MM.
Rissoles is bred
Danehill 3m x 4m
As with a number of Playing God's top sprinters, it is mares that pick up on the two Star Kingdom daughters carried by his grand dam Anything Tudor ( including his own ancestress Star Empress) which seem favoured.
The female line of Rissoles certainly provides that with Communique being bred x 3 to Star Kingdom sons Biscay (including a sex balance of Bletchingly) and Planet Kingdom, while the grand old stallion Fimiston was bred x 2 to Star Kingdom's sire Stardust being a descendant of his daughter Miss Radiant, with all of the above anchored by taproot mare and ancestress Pennula by Sunstar, to whom Star Kingdom was bred 4f x 4f.
Prior to 2016 the Sheila Gwynne Classic was known as the Matchmaker Classic and a number of top quality mares have won this race.
Last year's winner was Generosity, now Royal Ascot bound for Chris Waller.
Cryptic Love, Angelic Ruler, Celebrity Dream, Magnifisio, Mabel Grace, Danecay and New Image are a few of the really top class sprint mares to claim victory since the mid 2000s.
It will be interesting to see if the still lightly raced and talented Rissoles can progress now to Group level!
It was a good day for daughters of WA’s champion sire overall with four year old Black Ora (ex Oretessa by Oratorio) taking out the 1000m RSLWA Trophy for Adam Durrant earlier on the program.
Playing God stands at Darling View Thoroughbreds on a fee of $49,500.
