The closing stages of the 2026 Listed Raconteur Stakes (1400m) saw a desperate finish unfold all the way to the post, as Dion Luciani's star WA's star three year old filly Hot And High (Too Darn Hot) fought like a tigress to retain her undefeated status in the face of an equally determined challenge from up and comer Vatican Storm.
The big Playing God gelding with Clint Johnston Porter in the saddle had stalked Lucy Fiore on the hot favourite throughout the race, as they sat behind the leaders A Summer Fling (Pierro) and Peaceful Ruler ( Universal Ruler).
Approaching the home turn Fiore sooled Hot And High - shooting for win six at start six - into the lead, but Vatican Storm had come off her heels and it quickly became apparent the filly had a real fight on her hands!
The Belmont straight is long and the two talented youngsters settled into a full-scale war for the entire length of it, as an excited crowd urged them on.
Vatican Storm finally got his head in front with 50m to go but Fiore drew one final rally from her brave filly, who put her head down like a bulldog and simply would not give in!
They hit the line and it looked for all the world like the first dead heat in the long history of the 1400m contest had come to pass.
Two and a half anxious minutes passed before the judge could separate them and put Vatican Storm’s number into the frame.
What a race! Far from losing admirers, Hot And High gained even more of them with her gallant effort, and Vatican Storm - who had been the only horse backed to beat her - claimed his first stakes win at start six and announced himself as a gifted galloper on the rise.
The gelding’s trainer Stefan Vahala was absolutely thrilled.
“I was saying to the boys then that we haven’t won a photo finish for four years, so we were a bit worried, but it was awesome. You get these top jockeys like Clint, and they just find a way to get the right run in the race. He just produced him beautifully.
“Without going overboard, he definitely has Group 1 ability. He’s that level of horse – not saying he’ll win a Group 1! He’s a real big kid. I think in twelve months’ time, we’ll really see the best of him.”
Johnston-Porter admitted he had no sense of who had won the race when the two horses crossed the line together.
“50 out, I was pretty confident I was going to hold her off,” said the star hoop.
“But coming to the line, it was starting to kick back on me a little bit and it made it very interesting. I didn’t know, and normally a good tell is to have a look at the cameras but we were both next to each other going past it, so it was a bit hard.
“It panned out better than I expected it to. I thought she ( Hot And High) was going to lead, and she would just run away from me.
“But she ended up right in front of me and I just had a perfect run into it. I let him track into it a bit earlier than I normally would, just so I didn’t have too much ground to make on her.”
With three wins from six starts and prizemoney topping $200,000, Vatican Storm’s next target is the Listed Belmont Guineas (1600m) in a fortnight’s time.
A nice third in the Raconteur Stakes went to Lanfranco (Xtravagant) and charging home from the back for fourth was Peters Investment's Westbound (Toronado) - a half brother to the ageless superstar Western Empire, so one to watch!
On Saturday though it was all about Vatican Storm and he too hails from one of WA's most successful families.
Vatican Storm was a $100,000 Perth Magic Millions buy for Kyle Sutherland from Yarradale Stud.
The big bay was the first foal bred from Yarradale's winning War Chant mare Amalfi Lass.
She produced three more foals, all fillies, before she sadly died last December.
The first of these is a full sister to Vatican Storm named Angel Craft, a $140,000 Perth MM purchasecfor Neville Parnham who is yet to race.
She was followed by a 2024 daughter of Gingerbread Man, and the last foal from Amalfi Miss is her 2025 filly by Darling View Thoroughbred's young Zoustar son Lightsaber.
Amalfi Miss was a descendant of the Tamermarc mare Elmhurst who founded a fantastic family in the west!
Her son Machine Gun Tom won the 1998 G1 Railway Stakes and his half sisters Prohurst, Cold Fusion, Saracen Girl, Eastern Mystique and Oriley's Daughter all became black type producers!
Eastern Mystique ( Hammed) stands proud as the dam of the 1999 Mackinnon Stakes / Melbourne Cup winner Rogan Josh, a true West Aussie legend.
Her two daughters by the Mr Prospector son Protos have bred on the most successfully and Vatican Storm's third dam Prohurst was one of them.
She produced three stakeswinners, the dual Listed winner Hartley's Dream, the G3 WA Sires Produce winning filly Paradise Park ( Bletchley Park) and her G3 MRC Carlyon Cup / Sunline Stakes runner up half sister La Sirenuse by the fine Sadler's Wells stallion Barathea - she is Vatican Storm's grand dam.
La Sirenuse beat the memorable sprinter miler and triple G1 winner Regal Roller in her G3 victory.
She left seven winners , including Culverin ( by Makybe Diva's half brother Musket) who placed in both the WA Oaks / Derby, and Amalfi Cat (War Chant) dam of the G2 Doomben Roses placed filly Highway, by High Chaparral.
The half sister to La Sirenuse, Paradise Park became dam of the iron sprinter miler Grand Nirvana ( six G3 wins) and G1 placed warhorse Hartley's Dream.
Vatican Storm is also closely related to stakes winners Hot Shot Brother, Cool Business,Exhilarating and Corporate James.
This prolific family ( branch of 12 -g) goes back to the good Kiwi bred sprinter Palustre by The Tetrarch’s imported son Tea Tray, a descendant of the Epsom Oaks winner Miss Letty.
Vatican Storm is bred
Danzig 4m x 3m
Northern Dancer 5m x 4m,5m
Mr Prospector x5f,5m sex balanced
He becomes the 28th stakes winner for WA's champion sire Playing God.
His damsire War Chant, Yarradale Stud's Breeders Cup Mile winning son of Danzig, died in 2024.
Having commenced his breeding career at Three Chimneys Farm and shuttled to Chile as well as Western Australia, the handsome stallion finally emigrated for good when Ron Sayers bought him to stand permanently at Yarradale in 2014.
War Chant's best Australian progeny was the G1 winning mare Silent Sedition ( sold to Japan in 2018 for $1.5 million) but he sired numerous stakes winning fillies in WA and G1 winners in the USA and Ireland. He has built an ever increasing reputation as a broodmare sire - and shines in that capacity via the successful sire Shalaa.
War Chant's G1 Breeders Cup Mile triumph emulated that of his dam Hollywood Wildcat, who won in 2000.
An interesting pattern in the pedigree of Vatican Storm is the sex balanced duplication of the great broodmare sire Occupy carried by his dam Amalfi Lass.
War Chant's damsire Kris S by Roberto traces to his daughter Bridgework, and Barathea is out of a Habitat mare (Sir Gaylord x Occupy daughter.) As both Roberto and Sir Gaylord are tail male to Turn-To, and Habitat descends from the same family as War Chant himself, this is a key concentration of genetics in the dam of Vatican Storm, how does it nick with Playing God?
One answer is Vain's damsire Orgoglio who appears on the tail female line of Playing God. He is distantly related to Occupy and is by Nasrullah ( three quarter brother to Turn-To's sire Royal Charger ).
More Nasrullah features with his son Bold Ruler, out of a mare by Discovery ( a closer relation to Occupy) and Turn-To via Century and Grosvenor’s sire Sir Tristram, who duplicates Sir Gaylord.
Discovery is sex balanced in Playing God- his sire Blackfriars carries son Whistling Wind.
The duplicated Mr Prospector also carries Discovery.
Sadler's Wells and Kris S have important lines of Hail To Reason (Turn-To and family 4-r)
4-r is Nearco's family, so Playing God's lines to Nearco daughters via Ardistaan and Hermes in his pedigree are also particularly important.
Western Australia's champion sire Playing God stands at Darling View Thoroughbreds on a fee of $49,500
